What age can kids start learning about AI?

Even preschoolers can learn the big idea: a computer can learn from lots of examples, but it doesn't think or feel like a person. Kids 3 to 5 do best describing ideas out loud while a grown-up types; kids 7 and up can start choosing the words themselves.

Is it safe for kids to use AI?

It depends on the tool. Look for tools made for kids: a grown-up in the loop, no chat with strangers, personal details kept out, and a person reviewing anything that gets shared. Most general AI chatbots require users to be 13 or older.

Should kids use AI to do their homework?

Use it as a coach, not a ghostwriter: ask for ideas or feedback on something your kid made, and let them do the creating.

What should kids never type into an AI?

Their full name, school, address, phone number, passwords or photos. Our builder removes emails, phone numbers and addresses automatically, but it's a habit worth teaching for every app.

Guides for parents · Kids and AI

A safe introduction to AI for kids

Kids hear about AI everywhere. The best first lesson isn't a lecture: it's making something together and talking about how the computer helped. Here's a plain-English guide for parents and teachers.

AI in kid-sized words

Try this: "AI is a computer program that learned from millions of examples. It's very good at guessing what comes next, like what a game about a jumping goat might need. But it doesn't think, feel or know things the way people do, and it can make mistakes."

The five big ideas

Teachers use the AI4K12 "Five Big Ideas". Here they are for a kitchen-table conversation:

Perception: computers sense the world with cameras and microphones.
Representation and reasoning: they keep a kind of map of what they know and use it to solve problems.
Learning: they get better by studying lots of examples.
Natural interaction: talking with people is hard for computers, and they often get it wrong.
Societal impact: AI can help or harm, so people have to make good choices about it.

Five safety rules for kids

A grown-up comes too. Use AI together, especially at first.
Keep secrets secret. Never type your full name, school, address, phone number or passwords.
Computers can be wrong. If something seems off, ask a grown-up.
Be kind in what you ask. Ask for things you'd be happy to show anyone.
You're the creator. AI helps with your idea; the idea is yours.

A great first project: make a game

Making a game is a gentle first AI project. Your kid describes a character, a world and the rules, an AI helper builds it, and they play it a minute later. Then they change one thing and see what happens. They learn that clear words get better results, that the computer sometimes gets it wrong, and that they're the one deciding what's good.

On our Family Plan the AI helper only works on your kid's game, can't browse the internet, and removes personal details before anything is sent. You see every idea your kid types and every answer. How it works

What we follow

We design for children first, guided by UNICEF's guidance on AI and children: safety, privacy, fairness, being open about how things work, and helping kids build real skills.

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