How to talk to your grandkids about AI safety
Have a short, kind talk about AI without setting up a child's account.
Start with the child's parent or carer so your advice fits the family's rules. Check age limits and school rules before any direct use of an AI service.
You can explain AI on paper. It makes replies that may sound human, but a friendly chat is not the same as a trusted person.
Teach one rule at a time: keep private details out, check important facts, and ask an adult for help with upsetting content. A child should not fear blame for telling you.
- Use this made-up claim: 'Every bird can fly.' Find a penguin in a trusted book and talk about why a confident claim can be wrong.
- Use a made-up request for a home address. Explain why the child should stop and ask an adult.
- Choose a trusted adult they can go to if a chat feels upsetting or asks for a secret.
- Review any AI-written teaching note yourself before reading it to the child. Keep it short and age-appropriate.
Help me prepare an adult-led talk about AI. Use a made-up wrong fact and a request for private details. Keep the tone calm. Do not ask a child to open an account.
Paste the message into ChatGPT, then fill in any blanks before you send it. ChatGPT opens in a new tab. Opening it does not send the message.
Ask what they think and listen. You are helping them build judgment, not testing whether they can spot every trick.
Sources and more help
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