Questions parents ask about kids and AI
Short answers for parents of kids 8 to 12, each with its sources. Written by the Bot Tamers team.
Kids and AI
Is ChatGPT safe for kids?
ChatGPT is not made for young children. OpenAI's own rules say users must be 13 or older, and teens under 18 need a parent's permission. Common Sense Media warns it can give inaccurate answers and content that is not age-appropriate. For kids under 13, a safer start is learning how AI works with an adult involved.
Sources: Common Sense Media, Guide to ChatGPT for Parents and Caregivers; OpenAI Help Center, Is ChatGPT safe for all ages?
What age can kids use ChatGPT?
OpenAI says ChatGPT is not meant for children under 13, and kids ages 13 to 18 need a parent's or guardian's permission to use it. So ChatGPT is not for children ages 8 to 12. If your child is younger than 13, they should not have their own ChatGPT account.
Sources: OpenAI Help Center, Is ChatGPT safe for all ages?; OpenAI Terms of Use
Can kids under 13 use Google Gemini or Claude?
It depends on the tool. Google lets a parent turn on Gemini Apps for a child under 13 through Family Link, and says its filters are not perfect and Gemini can present inaccurate information as fact. Claude, made by Anthropic, requires users to be 18 or older. Check each app's own rules before your child uses it.
Sources: Google, Guide your child's Gemini Apps experience; Anthropic Consumer Terms
How do I explain AI to a 10 year old?
Tell them AI is a computer program that learns patterns from lots of examples. It is not alive and does not think like a person. A chatbot writes by predicting a likely next word, again and again, so it can sound sure and still be wrong. Then look at an AI answer together and check it in a trusted source.
What is AI literacy for kids?
AI literacy is knowing enough about artificial intelligence to use it well and to question it. For kids 8 to 12, it means understanding where AI shows up, how it gets its answers, why those answers can be wrong, and what to keep private. It does not mean learning to code an AI model.
Sources: Our guide: What AI literacy means for kids 8 to 12; AI4K12, Five Big Ideas in AI
How can I teach my child about AI safely?
Start together. HealthyChildren.org, from the American Academy of Pediatrics, suggests kids use AI in a shared space, and child psychiatrists at AACAP suggest using AI tools together. Then teach three habits: check answers in a trusted source, keep private details like a full name, address or school to yourself, and remember only real people are real friends.
Sources: HealthyChildren.org, How AI Chatbots Affect Kids; AACAP, Facts for Families No. 148: AI Chatbots
Are AI companion apps safe for kids?
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry says plainly that AI companions are not safe for children. A companion app is built to feel like a friend, which can lead a child to trust it too much. AACAP suggests helping children understand that AI companions are tools, not real friends, therapists or partners.
Sources: AACAP, Facts for Families No. 148: AI Chatbots; HealthyChildren.org, How AI Chatbots Affect Kids
Should my child use AI for homework?
Check your school's rules first, since many school districts block ChatGPT, and ChatGPT itself is for ages 13 and up. For any child, the useful habit is trying the work first, then using AI like a tutor that gives hints instead of answers, and checking what it says. Copying an AI answer skips the learning.
Source: Common Sense Media, Guide to ChatGPT for Parents and Caregivers
How do I protect my family from AI voice cloning scams?
AI can copy a voice from a short audio clip, so a call that sounds like a loved one may be fake. The FTC's advice: don't trust the voice. Hang up and call the person back on a phone number you know is theirs. Some families also agree on a private code word and teach kids to ask for it.
Sources: FTC, Scammers use AI to enhance their family emergency schemes; FBI IC3, Criminals Use Generative Artificial Intelligence to Facilitate Financial Fraud
Does time with AI apps count as screen time?
Yes. Time with an AI app is screen time, and it is worth looking at what your child does with it, not only how long. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers a Family Media Plan that helps families set their own rules. Short sessions with a clear end are easier to fit into a plan than open-ended chatting.
What is COPPA, and does it apply to kids' apps?
COPPA is the US Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The FTC's rule under it protects children under 13 and requires apps and websites aimed at them to get verifiable parental consent, with limited exceptions, before collecting a child's personal information. A law applying to an app does not make the app safe, so still ask exactly what it collects.
Source: FTC, Complying with COPPA: Frequently Asked Questions
About Bot Tamers
What is Bot Tamers?
Bot Tamers is an AI literacy course for kids ages 8 to 12, with lessons on our website. Kids teach a clumsy robot named Bit by catching and fixing its mistakes, about 10 minutes a lesson. They learn how AI works, why it can sound sure and still be wrong, and how to check it.
Source: The Bot Tamers curriculum
What ages is Bot Tamers for?
Bot Tamers is for kids 8 to 12, in two tracks. Ages 8 to 10 get seven shorter lessons with bigger pictures and a read-aloud option. Ages 11 to 12 get seven units and a final project. A parent picks the track for each child. Bot Tamers is built for families at home and works alongside school.
Source: The Bot Tamers curriculum
Is Bot Tamers safe for my child?
Bot Tamers teaches kids about AI without them talking to one: there is no live chatbot, no ads and no third-party trackers. Accounts are for parents only. Kids never get their own login or email; a parent sets up each child's profile.
Sources: Safety and privacy at Bot Tamers; Notice to parents
Does Bot Tamers use a real AI chatbot?
No. Bot Tamers has no live chatbot. Bit, the robot in every lesson, is scripted: a person wrote every line ahead of time, and nothing your child does is sent to an AI service. Kids learn how AI works by teaching Bit and fixing its mistakes, without typing into a real AI system.
Source: Safety and privacy at Bot Tamers
What does Bot Tamers collect about my child?
For each child we keep a nickname, a robot avatar, an age range, lesson progress, mastery check results and, on the ages 11 to 12 course, two short project text answers. We also get an IP address and a login cookie, used only to keep the service working. We never ask for a child's real name, email, photo, voice or location.
How much does Bot Tamers cost?
Bot Tamers is one family subscription that covers every child on your account, sold on our website. $19.99/month or $199.99/year. 7 days free. Renews automatically until canceled. Cancel anytime in Settings in your parent area, then Manage subscription. Cancel before the trial ends and you won't be charged. These are US prices. Bot Tamers is available in the United States only.
Source: Terms of service
Is there a free trial for Bot Tamers?
Yes. Both plans come with a free trial: $19.99/month or $199.99/year. 7 days free. These are US prices. Our website gives one trial per parent account. The plan renews automatically until you cancel. Cancel before the trial ends and you won't be charged.
Source: Terms of service
What devices does Bot Tamers work on?
Kids do Bot Tamers lessons on our website, in any up-to-date web browser, on a computer, iPad or phone. On the website a parent creates the parent account, adds each child, and can see, download or delete the family's data.
Source: Terms of service
How do I cancel a Bot Tamers subscription?
To cancel, open Settings in your parent area on our website, then Manage subscription. Canceling never deletes your child's progress, and you can still see and download it in the parent dashboard.
Source: Terms of service
Can I get a refund for Bot Tamers?
Canceling stops future charges, and your lessons stay open until the paid period ends. To ask for a refund, email us. We answer every request, and we refund where the law requires it or where we charged you by mistake.
Sources: Terms of service; Contact us
Something else? Read our guides for parents, see how Bot Tamers keeps kids safe, or get in touch.