Both the increasing sophistication and rising popularity of realistic AI is fuelling significant unease among parents. Handled wisely, AI has the potential to streamline family life but used carelessly, it inflicts real harm. Parents might turn to it for advice, meal plans and bedtime stories while Gen Alpha children quiz chatbots for homework help, decision-making and even emotional support. Most teens use some form of AI, from ChatGPT to My AI on Snapchat. But all this convenience comes at a cost.
From data privacy breaches and screen-time overload to algorithmic bias and misinformation, the worries surrounding AI are snowballing. A recent surge in AI dating sites reinforces harmful stereotypes, while teenagers increasingly form unsettling bonds with chatbots, mistaking programmed artificial empathy for authentic emotion. With schools struggling to keep up, digital literacy must start at home.
The solution isn’t panic. It’s conversation. When navigating AI, parents don’t need to be tech experts, they just need to ask the right questions.
Here are eight important questions on AI that most parents overlook – and why they matter.
How do we want tech to fit into my family life?
In your home, is AI a toy? A tool? A tutor? A threat? Every household has different values, so agree on what responsible use looks like to you. Together, create a ‘tech mission statement’ to guide decisions, just as you might for chores or bedtimes.
Does my child understand what AI actually is?
Children often assume digital assistants are clever or even alive. Explain simply that AI isn’t human, doesn’t feel empathy, and is not always correct. Using age-appropriate terms, describe AI as a system that rapidly spots patterns in data rather than something that ‘thinks’. Encourage everyone to keep asking how it works.
How can my child tell fact from fiction?
Explain how even when spouting nonsense or generating images, AI tricks adults into believing. Fake news, misleading health advice and polished essays are churned out with astonishing conviction. Encourage scepticism by asking your child, ‘how do you know that’s true?’ more often than ‘what did it say?’ Let them know it’s fine to come to you when they’re unsure and you can figure it out together.
How can AI ease – rather than add to - the chaos of my family life?
Used strategically, AI can genuinely help at home whether it’s smart speakers managing family shopping lists or AI-powered budgeting apps that forecast future expenses on past habits. Demonstrate responsible technology use by using AI for convenience, not for companionship or for cheating.
Am I protecting my children’s data?
‘Free’ apps often jeopardise your right to privacy. Explain to your child how personal data – browsing habits, voice recordings, even moods – can be traded for advertising or sold to third parties. This will influence what they see, buy or even feel. Show children how to review privacy settings and to avoid sharing names, photos or locations. Keep them asking, who benefits from our data?
Will AI stifle or help my child’s creativity?
AI doesn’t kill imagination, but it can dull it if overused. Encourage children to treat AI as a brainstorming partner at the start of a project, never as a shortcut to either outsourcing work entirely or getting it to finish it for them.
How should I differentiate between ‘screen times’?
Not all digital activities are created equal. Editing a video or coding a game is far more valuable than doom-scrolling TikTok. Parents would do better to shift their focus from duration onto purpose; instead of asking how long kids are online, ask what are they doing there.
Crikey. How can I prepare my child for an AI-driven future?
As machines grow cleverer, it’s expected to be the most inquisitive and thoughtful (not the most tech-savvy) children who thrive. Ditch coding. Teach critical thinking, emotional intelligence, adaptability and grit. These are the human qualities that AI can’t replicate.
