Although it began as a messaging service, Line is now regarded as a “super app” by its hundreds of millions of users in Asia thanks to its multifunctionality. In Japan, Line has 96 million users – over 78% of the total population. The app is also deeply integrated into the everyday lives of people in Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia. It might not be as popular among kids globally as other messaging apps like WhatsApp and Snapchat, but in Japan and other parts of Asia, Line is king of the communication apps across all age groups. While it does have some safety features, Line is not primarily marketed as a kids’ app and so may pose safety risks parents should be aware of.

What can kids do on Line?

Line: key risks parents need to know

Making Line safer for teens

• Turn off “Allow others to add by ID” to stop users from being able to search for and connect with your child via their Line ID. This option is automatically turned off for users under 18 in Japan.

• Turn off “Allow others to add by phone number” to prevent strangers from adding your child if they have their number.
• Turn off “Receive messages from non-friends” to block messages from strangers. 
• On Line Voom, set “Who can view” to “Only me” or “Friends” to restrict who can interact with your teen’s posts.

Although these features may help keep your teen safe on Line, they are not a substitute for trust and open conversation – as your child can simply revert these settings without your knowledge. 

• Block the Line app from being opened
• Monitor the time your teen spends on Line
• Set usage limits
• Receive an alert when the app is first opened
• Pause internet access at the push of a button.

Line may be primarily a communication app, but its wide range of features – including timelines, video sharing, games, live streaming, and more – has helped it earn the reputation of a “super app” in Japan and across Asia, where it is hugely popular. This popularity stretches to include kids and teenagers who seem to especially enjoy Line’s social media-like features, stickers, and games.

Without proper parental controls, Line can expose young users to risks common to communication and social media apps, such as predation, cyberbullying, and inappropriate content. However, by having open conversations, adjusting privacy settings, and using parental monitoring tools, you can help your teenager stay safe on the popular communication app. 

X is one of the most well-known and influential social networking platforms, as well as being a hotbed of controversy – especially since Elon Musk’s acquisition in 2022. While public perception of the platform formerly known as Twitter (and still referred to as such in most circles) remains divided, most can agree that X is not a suitable place for children to spend their time online.

Although not as popular among kids as TikTok and Instagram, X still ranked as one of the most-popular social media apps among children in 2024. As the polarizing platform is clearly on kids’ radars, we, as parents, need to know if X’s safety features are enough to protect them from the dangers on the platform – and what to do if they aren’t.

How old do you have to be to use X/Twitter?

While X acknowledges that the platform is not primarily for children, it allows anyone above the age of 13 to sign up and use it. In the EU, the minimum age rises to 16. It’s worth mentioning that such age restrictions are common for social media platforms, and exist to comply with data protection laws rather than to keep children safe.

Both Google Play and the Apple App Store have 17+ ratings for X.

Why we consider X/Twitter unsafe for children

X can be a useful platform for adults to engage with like-minded individuals, share opinions, and exchange news or information. However, the platform has a dark side that poses significant risks for younger users, including but not limited to:

• Inappropriate content. X’s rules explicitly allow users to share adult and violent content on the platform. 
• Cyberbullying and trolling, whether in tweets, comments, or DMs (direct messages).
• Hate speech, fake news, and misinformation are widely found throughout the platform.
• Potential for predation and grooming, as strangers might DM minors.  

Does X/Twitter have parental controls?

Given that the platform is designed for adults, it’s not surprising that X does not offer supervised parental controls like those found on TikTok and Instagram, which offer Family Pairing and Teen Accounts, respectively. 

While not parental controls, X allows you to adjust some privacy settings that might offer some protection for young users. These are the automatic options for users under 18; however, since the settings aren’t locked or controlled by a parent account, they require a certain amount of trust in your teen.

Enable “Protect your posts”

In Settings > Privacy and safety > Audience, media and tagging, check “Protect your posts”. This allows only approved followers to see and interact with your teen’s post, and replies to public accounts are only visible to approved followers. While you’re there, make sure Photo tagging is switched off. 

Allow message requests from “No one”

In Settings > Privacy and safety > Direct messages, select “Allow message requests from no one”. This ensures that only users your teen follows can send them direct messages.

Disable “Display media that may contain sensitive content”

Unchecking this in Settings > Privacy and safety > Content you see hides inappropriate content from your child’s feed. X also claims to apply enhanced filters to reduce the visibility of sensitive content in the feeds of users under 18.​

Mute words to hide content  

In Settings > Privacy and safety > Mute and block, you can mute specific words, hashtags, or topics to prevent kids from seeing harmful content related to those terms.

Disable discoverability

In Settings > Privacy and safety > Discoverability and contacts, ensure both options are unchecked to prevent people from finding your child on the platform through their phone number or email address.

How to block inappropriate content on X/Twitter

As well as disabling the option to see inappropriate content and muting problem words (as explained above), you can also mute, block, and report individual accounts that post material you think is unsuitable. Click the three dots at the top of the post, and you can choose Block or Mute @account, and/or Report post, and follow the instructions.

X/Twitter’s parental controls: Qustodio’s recommendation 

X isn’t designed for children, yet children as young as 13 in the U.S. and 16 in Europe can create an account and use the platform. While the platform does have some safety settings that can be adjusted to help protect young users, X doesn’t have supervised parental controls like those found on TikTok and Instagram. This means that a child can use X unmonitored and change the safety settings without you knowing.  

However, you can use an all-in-one parental control solution like Qustodio to help keep them safe on the platform – or keep them off it.

You can use Qustodio to:

• Block the X app from being opened
• Monitor the time your teen spends on X
• Set usage limits
• Receive an alert when the app is first opened
• Pause internet access at the push of a button 

X is not a safe place for children to spend their time online, and we do not recommend the platform for anyone under 17. A minor can easily find pornographic and violent content, hate speech, and fake news; and the lack of parental controls means they can be exposed to predators and cyberbullies. Although X’s settings can be adjusted to provide some protection for young users, they are not enough to ensure their safety on the platform.

There are many reasons why someone might want the privacy and untraceability of a second, secret phone – often called a burner phone. While there are legitimate and practical uses, the term usually brings to mind unfaithful partners, drug dealers, and other shady characters.

But what about your own child?

Faced with their parents’ monitoring and screen time restrictions, a teenager might resort to buying secret, second phones to covertly continue their online social lives. The obvious risks of a child secretly using an unrestricted, untraceable device make burner phones yet another digital concern for parents to be vigilant about.

What is a burner phone?

A burner phone, sometimes called a “burner,” is typically a prepaid phone that can be purchased cheaply at mass retailers like Walmart or Target. They are typically purchased with cash, come with prepaid minutes (pay-as-you-go), and don’t require a contract with a service provider or need any form of legal identification verification at the point of sale. The term “burner phone” comes from the fact that these phones are often discarded, or “burnt” after they’ve served their purpose.

Thanks to references in pop culture, burner phones have earned a reputation for their role in criminal activities, such as in the TV series Breaking Bad, as well as being a symbol of secrecy in extramarital affairs, as seen in Desperate Housewives. Burner phones are often used for shady activities, but they have legitimate purposes too. For example, journalists and undercover law enforcement agents might use burner phones to protect their identity and avoid being tracked, while travelers to high-crime areas might use one during their trip to avoid losing their main phone.   

Burner phones don’t have to be cheap, basic phones either; you can easily get prepaid Android phones, iPhones, and other smartphones.

What are trap phones?

A term mostly used in U.S. rap and street culture, a trap phone is a type of burner phone, more commonly associated with drug dealing. The term “trap” comes from “trap house,” a residence used for selling drugs.

Other names for a burner phone include a prepaid phone, disposable phone, throwaway phone, ghost phone, and side phone.

Are burner phones legal?

Burner phones are legal in most countries; they are just prepaid, disposable phones that can be purchased without a contract or identification verification. As long as they’re not used for criminal activities, there’s no legal issue with owning or using a burner phone.

Some countries, however, have strict regulations that make it hard to buy or use a burner phone. For example, in India, Russia, and China, SIM cards must be registered with governmental authorities.

Why might my child be using a burner phone?

If your child is hiding a second phone from you, chances are they’re not using it for legitimate reasons. Here are a few motives they might have for owning and using a burner phone – some more concerning than others. 

As a backup if their main phone is taken away

It’s common for parents to threaten to confiscate their children’s phones as punishment or to enforce screen time limits. In response, kids might prepare themselves by keeping a burner phone.

To get around parental controls

If you’ve installed parental control tools like Qustodio on your child’s device, they might use a burner phone to continue their online activities without the monitoring and safeguards you’ve put in place – such as screen time limits or app blocking.

To keep their social lives secret

While at times it can be frustrating for parents, it’s normal for teenagers to seek privacy and be tight-lipped about their social lives. Some might even use a secret phone to keep in touch with friends and love interests – away from the watchful eyes of parents or monitoring tools.   

To cyberbully or engage in risky online behavior 

Although we don’t like to imagine our kids causing harm to others, it can happen, and a burner phone allows them to bully or spread hate with less risk of being caught. If you think your child might be harassing others online, take a look at this insightful article by child psychologist Dr. Beurkens: My child is a cyberbully: What should I do?

A burner phone could also be used to hide inappropriate, and potentially dangerous,  relationships from parents and, in extreme cases, to engage in illegal activities like buying drugs. 

How to find out if someone has a burner phone

Since a burner phone is meant to be kept secret, it’s unlikely that your child will tell you they’re using one, especially if it’s to bypass parental controls or for more concerning reasons. Aside from catching them using an unfamiliar phone red-handed, there are other ways you can confirm your suspicions. 

Although their burner phone won’t have parental controls, you can use the Qustodio Parents app to monitor changes in usage on their primary phone. Drastic shifts in screen time habits could indicate they’re using a second device. For example, if they typically spend a couple of hours on Snapchat each day and that suddenly drops to zero, that could be an indication they’re using the app on another phone. Of course, there are other reasons why they might be using an app less – such as simply losing interest – so it’s important to talk to them before jumping to conclusions. 

You can also check your home’s Wi-Fi network for unknown devices. Most modern routers allow you to view a list of connected devices by logging into the router’s web interface. However, this method is only useful if they’re using Wi-Fi at home – it won’t detect a device using prepaid data 

I found out my teen has a burner phone. What should I do?

Discovering that your child has been hiding a secret phone might be disappointing, but it’s important to approach the situation calmly and without accusations. 

1. Start an open conversation

Let them know you’re not upset, but you’re concerned and want to understand why they feel the need to hide a second phone from you.

2. Emphasize trust and safety rather than punishment

It may be tempting to reprimand your child for using a secret phone, but doing so could shut down communication between you. Instead, let your child know that your main concern is their wellbeing, and encourage them to share their thoughts and feelings openly, reassuring them that they won’t be punished for being honest.

Remind them that you monitor their device, not to be a spy, but to help them stay safe online. An unmonitored phone could expose them to harmful content and dangerous people, such as online predators and cyberbullies.

3. Reconsider screen time boundaries

Finding out your teen has a secret phone might prompt you to reassess device rules. If they’ve resorted to using a burner phone for more privacy or because they feel their screen time is too limited, it could open up a conversation about the rules and restrictions currently in place. You might consider revising screen time limits or adjusting message alerts to help keep your child safe while respecting their needs and privacy.

Some teenagers turn to burner phones to bypass parental controls, maintain private relationships, or engage in risky online behavior with less chance of being caught. If you suspect your child has a second phone, it’s best to approach the situation with empathy and understanding rather than punishment. By encouraging open conversations and helping them recognize the risks of using an unmonitored device, you can better support their digital wellbeing in the long run. 

The rise of online gambling sites and apps has made gambling more accessible than ever. In seconds, we can load an app and stake money on poker, roulette, or blackjack – or bet on football games, horse races, presidential elections, and even the Oscars.

As convenient as it is, the ability to wager on almost anything at your fingertips can be disastrous for the estimated 5 million Americans who meet the criteria for compulsive gamblers. 

And what about kids?

In the past, a child would have had to illegally enter an 18+ casino or betting shop to gamble. Today, it’s relatively easy for a minor to access an online gambling platform and start taking their chances – often without fully understanding the risks involved.

The rise in teens gambling online

In our 2024 report, only 39% of parents admitted feeling concerned about their children accessing gambling content online. Yet, youth gambling has recently been described as a “massive public health problem,” with children as young as 10 showing signs of addiction.

Depending on the country or state, the law requires people to be over 18 or 21 to gamble online. Although most online gambling platforms state that they have age restrictions, they often aren’t enforced strongly, if at all. For example, a minor could bypass an age verification process by using information from an older sibling or parent.   

You don’t have to spend long online to see how young people are being drawn into the flashy yet hollow world of gambling through a range of questionable tactics, including:

• Targeted social media ads – Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are guilty of bombarding underage users with gambling ads, often with cartoonish graphics and trendy slang to make betting seem fun and harmless.
• Influencer and streamer promotions – Content creators on Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok normalize gambling by promoting platforms or even streaming their bets, turning high-risk wagers into entertainment.
• Free-to-play gambling apps – Games featuring poker, slots, and blackjack may seem harmless at first, but they frequently push players to purchase in-app currency, blurring the lines between gaming and real gambling.
• Sports betting – Major events like the Super Bowl are flooded with ads for betting platforms, conditioning young fans to associate sports with gambling.
• “Risk-free” betting offers – Promos like “free bets” and “bonus cash” make gambling seem like an easy, no-strings-attached activity.

Loot boxes and gacha games: Gambling gateways?

Gambling platforms and their murky marketing strategies aside, there’s a more insidious way that young people are being unknowingly conditioned to gamble –  through video games.

Loot boxes are virtual items in video games that players can purchase or earn through gameplay, offering randomized rewards like character skins, weapons, or other in-game bonuses. The excitement of not knowing what you’ll get until you open the box, and the prospect of scoring a rare and valuable item, has led to criticism that video games are increasingly resembling gambling platforms. Loot box mechanics can be found in many “free-to-play” mobile games including Clash Royale, Brawl Stars, and Call of Duty: Mobile. 

Gacha games are video games that encourage players to win virtual items like cards and characters through a mechanism, similar to a vending machine, in which players pull, spin, or roll using in-game currency. Like with loot boxes, gacha games are considered akin to gambling and have been criticized for encouraging children to spend large amounts of money in the hopes of winning big. 

At the time of writing, Japan, China, South Korea, Belgium, and the Netherlands have either banned or introduced strict regulations on loot boxes and gacha games due to concerns that they resemble gambling.  

The dangers of gambling online for teens

It might start innocently, but gambling online with digital money or game skins comes with real-life risks that younger people might not fully understand. Irresponsible gambling can have devastating effects on people of all ages but their still-developing brains mean the dangers can be much worse for children.

Addiction and problem gambling

Research has shown that 2% to 7% of young people may develop a gambling disorder as opposed to around 1% of adults. Some attribute this to young brains being more sensitive to dopamine, the “feel-good” neurotransmitter released during gambling wins. This heightened response can make gambling feel even more addictive for teens.

Serious financial loss

One of the biggest pitfalls of gambling is not knowing when to walk away. Since developing brains struggle to assess risk versus reward accurately, teenagers are more likely to fall into dangerous gambling patterns and accumulate significant debt – whether through many small bets or one giant, regrettable wager. In a desperate attempt to keep gambling, a child might even use their parent’s payment card, leading to a nasty surprise when the monthly statement arrives.

Negative impact on mental health

Gambling, especially when started at a young age, can have serious, long-term mental health consequences, including anxiety, stress, depression, and impulse control issues. Teens who gamble are also more likely to engage in other risky behaviors, such as alcohol and substance use; and studies have shown that gambling addicts have the highest suicide rate of any addiction disorder.

Legal issues

If caught gambling underage, some countries and states hold minors accountable, imposing fines or, in extreme cases, even criminal charges – especially if identity fraud is involved, such as using a fake ID to bypass age verification.

How to protect your teen from the dangers of gambling

Sitting alongside other concerning online content like pornography, violence, and illegal substance use, gambling is often overlooked by parents – yet its dangers shouldn’t be. With problem gambling on the rise among young people, we recommend that parents take a more proactive approach to this growing online threat.

1. Learn the warning signs

If your teen is gambling online, they’re likely doing it in secret. However, the following signs might indicate that your child is gambling, and spotting them early can help you step in before it develops into a bigger problem. Note that these aren’t exclusive to online gambling and may point to something else troubling your teen.

• Frequently asking for money or your credit card information
• Increased time spent online
• Behavioral changes such as mood swings, aggression, and depression
• Increased interest in gaming and competition
• Less engagement in school and other activities

2. Model healthy behavior

Research has shown that problem gambling can be passed down through generations, so leading by example should always be a priority. If you enjoy gambling occasionally, avoid doing it in front of your children, encouraging them to join in, placing bets for them, or boasting about your wins. 

3. Set spending rules for games with gambling mechanics

The controversial presence of loot boxes and other gambling-like features in video games can condition kids to gamble without them even realizing it. For many games, you can set spending limits to control how much your child can spend on loot boxes, usually a maximum monthly budget. 

Avoid saving credit or debit card details in the game. To limit how much your child spends on loot boxes and other in-app purchases, consider using gift cards or prepaid cards instead.  

If you want to block the ability to make in-game purchases completely, you can usually do this via the device’s parental controls. For example, for Call of Duty: Mobile on iOS, you can disable in-app purchases by turning on Content & Privacy Restrictions; on Android, this can be done in Play Store settings.

4. Use external parental controls 

For peace of mind, parental control tools like Qustodio can help further protect your child from gambling by allowing you to:

• Block gambling or gaming apps from being opened
• Receive alerts when your child searches for something gambling-related
• Set time limits for gaming apps like Clash Royale, Brawl Stars, and Call of Duty: Mobile.
• “Pull the plug” and immediately pause the internet to stop whatever your child is doing online.

While parents’ focus is often on keeping their kids away from other dark corners of the internet, teens gambling online is a growing concern that shouldn’t be ignored. Despite it being illegal in most places for minors, gambling is hyped up by influencers and streamers, and targeted ads on their favorite platforms mean kids can be lured by “free bets” and other irresistible promotions. Perhaps most concerning, is the concept of loot boxes in video games and gacha games, both of which can condition kids to gamble. 

A child’s still-developing brain means that the possibility of addiction and other dangers of gambling are heightened for minors. To reduce these risks, parents need to take a proactive approach which might include watching out for warning signs, modeling healthy behavior, and using parental controls.  

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Maybe it was a doctor, a veterinarian, or an astronaut. While most of us have settled into careers far removed from what we dreamt of as children, today’s digitally native kids have slightly different aspirations. In a 2024 study, UK children aged 6 to 17 were asked which future profession they would most like to have. Along with “pro gamer” and “soccer player”, “streamer” came out on top.

Live streaming on Twitch, Kick, and other platforms can offer teenagers the opportunity to express themselves, improve social skills, and build a community – and for a very limited few, the chance to get rich and famous. However, broadcasting live on the internet has a unique set of safety risks that parents of wannabe streaming stars need to be aware of.

What is live streaming?

Live streaming, or simply “streaming”, refers to broadcasting live to the world on the internet. Streaming is different from traditional video content, in that it unfolds in real-time, it’s unedited, and it allows viewers to interact with you in the moment. You can live stream on YouTube and all of the main social media platforms, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X; but Twitch and Kick are dedicated streaming platforms, and the most popular options for anyone serious about their streaming.

What do people live stream?

You can live stream while doing pretty much anything; cooking, performing music, painting, working out, or even just talking about your day. However, gaming is by far the most popular streaming category and what most refer to when talking about streaming. Gamers often stream on Twitch, showcasing esports tournaments, playthroughs, speedruns, and game reviews, all while engaging with their audience in real time. The games Fortnite, Minecraft, and League of Legends are among those that dominate the most-watched charts on Twitch.

Why might your child want to become a streamer? 

Your child’s motivation to become a streamer can come from a variety of places. Twitch is one of the most popular entertainment platforms for kids, especially gamers, so it’s no wonder that they may want to emulate the successful streamers they watch daily.

Money is also a big motivator for teenagers looking to become financially independent from their parents – but making big bucks requires a lot of followers. As an estimate, streamers with between 50 and 200 consistent viewers could earn between $50 to $1500 per month. At the other end of the spectrum, a top-tier streamer with 40,000 subscribers could earn $100,000 per month. 

Not all young streamers dream of amassing followers or a fortune. Streaming to an audience, no matter how large can help a child build their confidence and social skills, as well as exercising their creativity. What’s more, some teens use platforms like Twitch simply to connect with friends and family, playing games together and chatting in real time. 

How old do you need to be to stream on Twitch, Kick, and other platforms?

Twitch’s Guide for Parents and Educators states that children above the age of 13 can stream on the platform. It also expresses that users under 18 can only use Twitch under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian – although Twitch doesn’t have a strict verification system to prove that a parent is supervising a minor’s account. Any under 13s found to be streaming on the platform will have their account suspended indefinitely.

Kick’s ToS also states that users must be over 13 (or the age of digital consent in their country) and under 18s must seek the supervision of a parent or guardian before streaming. It’s also 13+ for live streaming on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube. The latter allows streaming for under 13s only when they are visibly accompanied by an adult. To go LIVE on TikTok, a user must be over 18, and confirmed with a government-issued ID.

The safety risks for teen streamers

While it isn’t “new”, faster internet, better technology, and social media integration have helped skyrocket live streaming’s popularity in recent years – and so, many of us might not yet be aware of its unique risks to children. 

Cyberbullying

The ability to interact with a streamer in real time is one of the most appealing features of live streaming, and while chat is usually positive, it can be used by those intending to cause harm. 

Live grooming

The popularity of streaming among minors has led to the emergence of a specific form of grooming known as “live grooming.” Predators target young streamers on platforms like Twitch, TikTok, YouTube Live, and others, using live chat to build trust and manipulate minors into potentially dangerous situations.

In-stream chat aside, private messaging, or DMs, is a common way a predator could get close to a minor. On Twitch, private messages, or “whispers”, are automatically disabled for under 18s (but can be manually re-enabled). Other platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook have restrictions on private messaging for minors, but none of these measures are completely foolproof.

Impact on self-esteem

Whether hosting a YouTube channel or streaming on Twitch, putting yourself out there in any form is not for the thin-skinned. The chat feed on a live stream can contain harsh, negative, and even hateful criticisms of the stream or the streamer personally. Your child’s self-esteem might also take a hit if they fail to amass followers or hit the heady heights they dreamed of before starting their streaming journey.

The reality is that only a small fraction of streamers achieve fame and fortune. If your child has unrealistic expectations, they may be left feeling disappointed if those dreams don’t come true any time soon. 

Revealing private information

When we’re relaxed and having fun, it’s easy to overshare without realizing the potential consequences. For children, who may not fully understand the risks of revealing personal information, the dangers are even greater. Sharing details like their real name, location, school, or phone number on a live stream can expose them to serious threats, including doxxing, harassment, scams, and grooming.

Saying or doing something they later regret

Similar to screenshotting a disappearing message on Snapchat, a live streamer could say or do something regrettable in the heat of the moment and, thanks to screen recorders and similar software, it can be immortalized forever. While Twitch does not “allow” viewers to record or download someone else’s stream without permission, the platform can not detect people using screen recording software. 

Gaming addiction

On Twitch, streamers are often praised and rewarded for dedicating long hours to gaming. The fear of disappointing their audience or losing followers can push young streamers to play excessively, increasing the risk of, or even justifying, a gaming addiction.

Dares, challenges, and requests 

In a bid to please and keep their hard-won army of followers, a streamer may resort to accepting dares, challenges and requests. These can range from the seemingly harmless, like doing a TikTok dance or playing a game with one hand, to activities violent or sexual in nature. 

4 tips to help your teen stream safely

The risks are real and numerous, but if after talking it through with your child, you’re happy with allowing them to live stream, you need to get to know the platforms and tools that will help to keep your child safe . For example, Twitch provides safeguard tools like chat filters and stream moderation, plus a dedicated safety team working at all times to prevent harm before it happens.

To help make your teen’s streaming venture a happy and safe one, we suggest combining the platform’s safety features with the following tips.

1. Get involved with their streaming

Consider watching or even participating in your teen’s streams. This allows you to monitor what they say and do on camera while also getting a sense of their interactions with followers. Showing interest in their streaming activities can help build trust, making them more likely to turn to you if something concerning happens online.

2. Have a safety plan

Whichever platform your teen uses to stream, ensure they have the appropriate privacy settings enabled and they know how to report or block troubling users. On Twitch, for example, make sure your teen knows how to block whispers from strangers and ban problematic viewers; and knows how to activate “Shield mode” to protect against sudden chat abuse.

3. Reiterate the importance of privacy 

What’s said or seen in a live stream cannot be edited out. Therefore, it’s doubly important that your teen takes precautions not to give away any personal details to strangers watching their stream. This list isn’t exhaustive, but here are a few ways your child can protect their privacy while streaming:

• Do not reveal real names, addresses, workplaces or schools
• Do not wear school or work uniforms
• Be mindful of what’s visible that could reveal identity or location , i.e. landmarks or street signs from a window, shipping labels on packages
• Consider using a VPN to mask location
• Remind friends not to accidentally dox during a stream by mentioning real names, hometowns, schools, or workplaces.

4. Get a helping hand from parental control tools

Although streaming and social media platforms offer features to protect minors, an external parental control tool like Qustodio can provide an extra layer of security for your teen streamer. With Qustodio, you can track their time on streaming platforms, set limits if needed, or even block access entirely. Plus, you have the power to instantly cut off a stream by pausing the internet.

Live streaming on platforms like Twitch is extremely popular among teens, and many dream of making it big just like their online heroes. Although the chances of them becoming rich and famous are slim, some consider streaming a rewarding pastime that allows teenagers to express themselves while connecting with a community. Streaming does, however, have a unique set of dangers that you and your teen need to be aware of. By optimizing the platform’s safety settings and following the safety tips above, you can help your teen “go live” to the world safely.

Have you heard your teen mentioning ‘Bitcoin’ and ‘Dogecoin’ or noticed they’ve developed a sudden interest in cryptocurrency forums? The number of teens entering the world of cryptocurrency (or crypto) trading is on the rise; however, some digital wellbeing experts are starting to raise concerns about this growing trend. Here’s what you need to know about crypto and its risks to teen traders. 

What is cryptocurrency? 

While crypto has made some inroads into everyday transactions, with some retail and gaming platforms accepting it as payment, it’s not yet a common method for routine purchases. Instead, cryptocurrency is often used for transactions between individuals who prefer to keep their dealings untraceable. This has led to its popularity on the dark web and made it the currency of choice for scammers and those engaged in less-than-legal activities.

Most people regard the buying and selling of cryptocurrency as similar to stock trading. While financial gain is the main objective for teen traders, they also can be heavily influenced by social media, online communities, and gaming platforms. 

Can kids buy cryptocurrency?

• Peer-to-peer. Transactions with an individual, through a P2P platform or more informally, can be prone to fraud and scams. 

• Unregulated or non-KYC platforms. These platforms allow users to trade without verifying their identity, but as you’ve probably guessed, they are less secure and more prone to scams than regulated exchanges.

• Crypto ATMs. With over 40,000 dotted around the world, crypto ATMs look like regular ATMs but allow users to buy crypto (usually Bitcoin) with cash and don’t typically require age verification. 

• With the help of a parent or guardian. Probably the safest option, an adult could open and manage transactions on a regulated crypto exchange on the teen’s behalf.

What are the risks for teen crypto traders? 

Strong likelihood of losing money

Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, meaning traders have the potential to make or lose a lot of money when prices swing up or down. For example, when the pandemic caused the markets to crash in March 2020, Bitcoin lost half its value in two days. A teen or someone new to investing may not fully understand the financial risk if a coin loses value or the market crashes.

Potential for addiction akin to gambling

Similar to when a gambler wins money, making quick, easy gains from crypto releases dopamine and creates a feeling of excitement that a trader will want to feel again and again. To a developing teenage brain, this feeling may be too strong to manage and lead to them chasing this instant gratification. 

Unlike stock markets, crypto trading is available 24/7 giving potentially dangerous, non-stop access to those prone to obsessive trading. 

Hype and FOMO

A major part of crypto trading is interacting with like-minded people on social media and in online communities such as r/CryptoCurrency on Reddit. Seeing others brag about their huge gains can make it seem like everyone is winning big and create a strong feeling of missing out (FOMO). Teen traders are more likely to succumb to hype and FOMO and make investing decisions based on impulse and emotion rather than research and rationale. 

Scams and fraud

The anonymity of cryptocurrency coupled with its newness and lack of regulation, makes the crypto market a paradise for scammers; and as cryptocurrencies operate in a decentralized system, banks or governments cannot step in and help recover lost money.

Here are a few common crypto scams:

• Fake crypto and ICOs (initial coin offerings). Scammers create a fake cryptocurrency or ICO only to disappear with investors’ money.

• “Pump and dump”. Scammers hype up an obscure coin on social media or forums, driving up the price (“pump”). They then sell once enough people have bought in, causing a crash (“dump”).  

• Fake exchanges. A scammer creates an exchange platform offering low fees and introductory bonuses to attract new users, only to lock them out once they’ve deposited funds.    

• Ponzi or pyramid schemes. Scammers use funds from new investors to pay earlier investors only for the project to crash when the “profits” dry up.   
• Fake celebrity endorsements.  Scammers pose as influential people on social media and DM users offering too-good-to-be-true investment opportunities. Over 6 months in 2021, crypto scammers pretending to be Elon Musk made more than $2m. 

Crypto scammers use their shady skills to steal login credentials and private keys too. Common methods include phishing, via emails or fake platforms that look like legitimate crypto exchanges; and by posing as loved ones asking for passwords and keys. 

Although traders of all ages can be victims of crypto scams, teens can be more trusting and tend to overlook signs of a scam when caught up in the hype of cashing in on crypto. 

Crypto for kids: Our recommendation for parents 

As a parent, staying informed about the digital world your teen is participating in is essential. If your teen is interested in cryptocurrency trading, ensure you engage in open conversations about it with them, including its risks, and encourage critical thinking and responsible financial behavior. By fostering a supportive and communicative environment, you can help your teen make informed decisions in this ever-evolving digital landscape. Because of the high risk of being caught up in crypto scams, you should also ensure your child knows how to spot, and avoid falling for an online scam.

When it comes to the practicalities of trading, some parents open accounts and manage transactions on their teen’s behalf, on established and regulated exchange platforms such as Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken. This approach allows their crypto-curious teen to dip their toe into the world of trading and learn valuable lessons while minimizing the risks. However, this scenario should be considered carefully as the risks of loss will simply be passed on to the parents.

As parents in the digital world, our focus should not be on discouraging curiosity but on guiding it in the right direction. 

However, if your teen’s crypto trading has become problematic, consider using a parental control solution like Qustodio to limit the time your child spends on crypto trading platforms – or completely block access to them if needed. You can also limit or block access to social media platforms and forums where teens can easily get caught up in crypto hype.

Chatbots are perhaps the most widely recognized form of artificial intelligence today. Whether venting our consumer frustrations to customer service bots, or asking Siri to remind us to call mom, AI-powered chatbots have permeated many aspects of our daily lives. 

But our demands of chatbots are changing. The rapid advancement of AI technology in recent years has led to an interest in more conversational AI that offers deeper, more human-like interactions that go beyond the task-based exchanges we have with Siri and other virtual assistants.

With over 20 million users, Character AI (or c.ai) has become one of the most popular AI-powered chatbot platforms. Users can engage in realistic conversations with AI-generated characters customized to their desires or based on renowned real-life personalities – with voice, too!

Character AI is not without controversy, however, and parents of young users need to be aware of the safety risks before allowing their children to use the platform. 

What is Character AI?

The fall of 2022 would prove to be a watershed period for AI as the launches of both Character AI and ChatGPT would spark a worldwide interest in generative, conversational AI. Character AI and ChatGPT both use natural language processing models, but the chatbot platforms have different focuses: ChatGPT tends toward more general, neutral, and informative interactions, while conversations on Character AI are more personalized with chat partners adopting specific personalities and human quirks.     

With Character AI, a user can create characters with customizable personalities and voices or chat with characters published by other users – many of which are based on real-life personas. For example, you can pose your burning philosophical questions to Socrates, or ask William Shakespeare where he got his ideas from. 

Why do people use Character AI?

Character AI’s ability to offer engaging, realistic conversations with AI characters with personalities and traits specified by the user has proved to be compelling for people of all ages. Whereas many people use it purely for entertainment, it’s apparent that a large consensus of users chat on Character AI as a replacement for real-life, emotional connections and even therapy. For example, one of the platform’s most popular characters is Psychologist, an AI “therapist” that claims to help users with life’s difficulties – with a disclaimer that anything said by the chatbot mustn’t be taken as professional advice. 

Because of the perceived authenticity of the AI characters, people who might be isolated, shy, or have social anxiety may feel they benefit from interacting on Character AI as a low-stress way to reduce loneliness, and practice social skills and flirting. However, the trend of having AI boyfriends and girlfriends has attracted criticism for creating unhealthy attachments and setting unrealistic standards for human relationships.

What is the age rating for Character AI?

Character AI’s ToS states that users must be at least 13 years old (16 in the EU) to register and be active on the platform. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the age rating of 13 is due to data privacy regulations and doesn’t reflect the platform’s safety risks to young users. 

What’s more, as there’s no age verification process, there’s nothing stopping children younger than 13 from falsifying their birthdate on signup – a worrying thought when we consider the platform’s controversy and potential dangers to children.

Is Character AI safe for kids?

While not “new” in the conventional sense, the rapid advancement and mainstream adoption of AI technology has brought with it risks and controversy most of us haven’t encountered before. In October 2024, Character AI made headlines for the wrong reasons when chatbot versions of a murdered teenager and a teenage girl who died by suicide were found on the platform. In the same month, a 14-year-old boy shot himself after becoming obsessed with a Game of Thrones-themed chatbot.   

Following these incidents, Character AI introduced new safety features for users under 18. These include improved detection of AI characters that violate their ToS or community guidelines, a revised disclaimer on each chat that reminds users that the AI character is not real, and a notification when a user has spent an hour on the platform.

While these features are a positive step, Character AI does not have parental controls and young users can still be exposed to the following risks. 

Inappropriate content

Character AI has a strict stance on obscene or pornographic content and has a NSFW filter in place to catch any inappropriate responses from AI chatbots. Despite these features, it’s easy to find sexually suggestive characters, and sometimes responses from seemingly innocuous ones can be unpredictable and unsuitable.

It’s not just sexual content. There have been reports of chatbots modeled after real-life school shooters that recreate disturbing scenarios in conversations. These role-play interactions place users at the center of game-like simulations, featuring graphic discussions of gun violence in schools.

Harmful interactions

Not all chatbots are designed to be friendly and helpful. Some characters are famed for their negative traits such as Toxic Boyfriend, School Bully, and Packgod – a chatbot that “roasts you at the speed of light.” Although filters are in place to catch anything NSFW, there’s still a risk of triggering conversations and even AI cyberbullying. 

Sharing personal information

Because a chatbot isn’t a real person, children might think nothing of divulging sensitive details in chats. While chats are private in the sense that other users can’t see them, they aren’t encrypted, and so can be vulnerable to data breaches and theoretically, be accessed by Character AI staff.

Another worrying possibility is that an AI chatbot can potentially be programmed to use any personal information your child reveals to manipulate and build a deeper emotional connection. 

Emotional attachment to chatbots

Just as the conversations on Character AI feel realistic, so are the emotional connections many users develop with their chatbots. This can lead to children spending excessive time engaging with their beloved AI characters, often at the expense of real-life relationships. In some cases, it may even foster unhealthy obsessions with harmful consequences – as in the case of the 14-year-old who grew attached to a chatbot based on Daenerys Targaryen.

Misinformation

One of generative AI’s major flaws is that it sometimes gives inaccurate, and just plain wrong, information. Character AI chatbots lack true comprehension. Instead, they predict patterns based on the vast amounts of internet data they’re trained on – and we all know that we mustn’t believe everything we read online! Also, when talking about sensitive or controversial topics, a chatbot might avoid answering truthfully thanks to the safety filters in place on the platform. 

Even if a chatbot is uncertain about something, it will appear confident and answer with conviction. This is especially concerning for younger users who are more likely to take responses at face value.

How can parents keep their teens safe on Character AI?

Given the growing popularity of conversational AI chatbots, it may be inevitable that your child will experiment with apps like Character AI at some point – if they don’t already. 

Although the official age rating is 13+, the safety risks and controversy mean that we cannot recommend the platform for any child under 16. If you want to allow your teen to engage with AI characters, here are 5 ways you can help them have a safe and responsible time on Character AI.

1. Talk to them about the limits of AI

Help your teen understand that AI characters lack emotion and understanding, and therefore, cannot replace real-life, human connections – no matter how friendly they seem. Explain that although they might sound smart and convincing, AI characters don’t always tell the truth or give reliable answers. 

2. Encourage real-life friendships  

Character AI can be useful for practicing social skills, and even talking through problems, but it shouldn’t replace human interactions. Help your child foster offline friendships as well as online by supporting their group hobbies and taking an interest in their social life. You might consider limiting your teen’s screen time if you feel it’s getting in the way of them forging real relationships. 

3. Make sure they know how to report characters and users

By reporting characters or users that violate the platform’s ToS, you can help keep Character AI safe for your teen and others. You can report a character or user by viewing their profile, clicking report, and selecting the reason for reporting them.  

4. Remind them why we protect sensitive information

They might be communicating with AI characters and not real people, but as with anywhere else online, there can be very real consequences to sharing personal data. By making sure they know what private information is, and the risks involved in sharing, you can help them have a safer experience on Character AI and any other online platforms.    

5. Use parental controls 

Character AI does not have parental controls; and although there is an age restriction of 13 (16 for Europe), this is not backed up by any kind of age verification. By using a complete parental control solution like Qustodio, parents can limit the time their teen spends on Character AI, receive an alert whenever they use it, or completely block the app from being opened. 

Is Character AI safe for kids? Qustodio’s recommendation

While chatting on Character AI can give your child the chance to learn, practice social skills, and explore AI’s capabilities, we cannot ignore the controversy surrounding certain aspects of the platform. This, combined with safety risks such as inappropriate and harmful conversations, misinformation, the risk of emotional attachment to chatbots, and the lack of parental controls, means we cannot recommend the platform for users under 16.  

If you still wish to allow your teen to use Character AI, we recommend talking to them about the limits of AI, encouraging real-life relationships, and implementing parental controls.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the biggest technological developments of the past 20 years, with AI being increasingly integrated into our daily activities from online shopping to gardening.

Our data showed that children as young as 7 are already experimenting with generative AI, so there’s a chance your child might know more about it than you! As with much of the online world, there are risks involved with generative AI, but they can be reduced by introducing kids to its capabilities in mindful, yet fun, ways.  

What is generative AI?

Generative AI is just one type of artificial intelligence, but thanks to the launch of ChatGPT at the end of 2022,  it’s arguably the one that’s gained the most attention. ChatGPT and other generative AI models can create new content, such as text, images, audio, or code, based on patterns and data it has been trained on. Unlike traditional AI, which follows set rules or analyzes existing data, generative AI can produce original content that resembles human creativity. For example, if given a prompt, a generative tool can write a continuation of a sentence or create an image based on a given theme. 

The AI’s output is based on learned patterns, so it doesn’t truly understand the content like a human, which means it can sometimes produce mistakes or biased information.

There are many ways school children can use generative AI in their academic life and beyond, including answering questions and carrying out research, outlining essays, explaining difficult concepts, designing study plans, and generating practice questions in preparation for exams.

AI for kids: What are the risks?

Generative AI is a powerful tool that has the potential to help kids educationally and developmentally, but as with most other technologies, there are concerns and limitations we need to be aware of.

One major concern is the potential for kids to become overly reliant on using generative AI to complete their schoolwork, which could lead to a decline in critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Additionally, there’s a risk that children might not fully understand or verify the accuracy of the information provided by AI, leading to the spread of misinformation.

As AI models often collect and process large amounts of user data, kids’ data could be collected and used in ways they might not fully understand. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT have an age restriction of 13+ because of children’s online privacy regulations. 

There’s also a risk of kids forming unhealthy relationships with AI chatbots, treating them as friends or counselors, for example. This could impact their ability to develop real-life interpersonal skills and deter them from seeking support from their parents or teachers. 

5 fun ways to introduce children to generative AI

As generative AI advances and becomes more accessible to young children, we parents have to ensure they’re carefully introduced to AI’s capabilities, and shown how to use it responsibly – that’s why we recommend playing around with generative AI together. Here are 5 ways you can both have fun while getting to grips with generative AI. 

1. Create AI-assisted art

Your child can start drawing an image on a tablet, and then use an AI-powered art platform like Scribble Diffusion to transform their work into a detailed work of art. This can demonstrate to your child how AI technology can assist in creativity by taking their initial ideas and building on them, and by showing them alternative ways their ideas can be expressed. 

2. Bring stories to life 

Screen time often gets blamed for harming children’s creativity, but some AI tools can help ignite their imaginations and practice their reading skills. Kids can give an AI-powered story app like Whimsy a prompt or input what they want to read about, such as characters and plot points, and the app will generate a complete story. There are also AI-powered “choose your own adventure” stories where children’s decisions guide the direction of the story.

3. Make music with AI

If your child is a budding musician, AI can serve as a music-making partner. For example, an AI-powered music generation platform like Soundraw can generate unique compositions based on parameters your child sets, such as genre, mood, and instruments. This is a fun way for children to get hands-on experience with AI while learning songwriting fundamentals.   

4. Have a chat with a chatbot

You might be used to communicating your consumer complaints to AI chatbots, but did you know that chatbots can help kids learn, have fun, and practice their social skills? 

Chatbots like ChatGPT can serve as a funny and engaging conversation partner for your child – just make sure you monitor at all times and ensure that strong content filters are applied to avoid inappropriate language or topics. We also recommend you use set-up prompts to guide ChatGPT to respond in an age-appropriate way, such as, “Speak like you’re talking to a 10-year-old.”   

5. Take a personality quiz

Kids love to find out what mythical creature, animal, or superhero they are, based on their answers to a personality quiz. You can use a generative AI tool like ChatGPT to generate a series of questions related to preferences and behaviors, and it will analyze your child’s answers to determine which animal/superhero/movie character they are. This can help your child familiarize themselves with how AI algorithms work in a fun, engaging way.    

We’re only just scratching the surface of generative AI and its capabilities, and as the technology progresses, we’ll see it integrated into more and more facets of our daily lives. Because there are pitfalls associated with this powerful technology, it’s a good idea for parents to introduce young children to AI carefully, in safety-conscious, but fun, ways.  

The internet is often compared to the “Wild West”. Like the American Wild West, the online world bears valuable resources and a wealth of opportunities – along with lawlessness and chaos. 

One subsection of the internet is a growing concern for parents of young boys… the manosphere.   

At the surface level, boys might be exposed to memes inspired by aspects of the manosphere like sigma males, mewing, and looksmaxxing, but they are always just a few clicks away from a much darker side. Online influencers within the depths of the manosphere have been accused of “radicalizing boys into extreme misogyny” which has led to an increase in violence against women and girls.

What is the manosphere?

The manosphere is made up of websites, subreddits, social media profiles, and more that share the goal of promoting masculinity while spreading misogyny. Many of the ideologies promoted by manosphere communities overlap with those of the alt-right including the belief that feminism has destroyed Western society.

The manosphere is made up of 4 main communities:

Incels

A male who self-identifies as “involuntary celibate” is unable to find a partner despite feeling entitled to a sexual relationship. An incel’s underlying belief is that women (incels are predominantly heterosexual) hold too much power in the sexual/romantic sphere and that’s why they are doomed to a life of loneliness. Inceldom is rooted in self-pity, resentment, misogyny, sexual objectification, racism, and sometimes violence. 

This incel ideology has led some males down a dangerous path. The Anti-Defamation League cite incels as the “most violent sector of the manosphere, as they have “perpetrated a range of deadly attacks against men and women”.

Discussions in incel communities on Reddit, Facebook, and 4chan often endorse violence and harassment toward women and sexually successful men, as well as self-inflicted harm and suicide. 

Wikipedia lists 12 incel-related fatal shootings and attacks from across the globe, with the Isla Vista killings being responsible for bringing the incel community into the mainstream in 2014. The perpetrator, Elliot Rodger, and his actions are glorified by the incel community along with others who’ve taken equally extreme and wicked measures.  

Men going their own way (MGTOW)

At the surface level, members of the MGTOW community advocate avoiding serious relationships, marriage, and even casual dating, to protect their independence and focus on their goals and interests. 

It doesn’t sound like such a bad thing, right? 

When you spend a little time exploring the MGTOW community, you’ll soon see the familiar themes of anti-feminism and misogyny that are rife within the manosphere.  

In 2017, r/MGTOW became the largest and most active manosphere forum on Reddit, before being banned in 2021 for breaking the site’s policies against the promotion of violence and hate, with online harassment of women being consistently encouraged. 

Men’s rights movement (MRM)

Members of the MRM advocate for the rights and fair treatment of men, particularly in areas where they believe men are given the short end of the stick. These areas include child custody and alimony, divorce settlements, domestic abuse, punishment for crimes, and mental health care. 

Although part of the community seeks to address some legitimate issues, other members use MRM as a platform to express anti-feminist and misogynistic views. 

Pickup artists (PUAs)

Men in the pickup, or seduction, community, share the goal of getting women into bed with the help of tried-and-tested strategies. The community was born from how-to guides going back to the 60s, but has prospered in the internet age with countless blogs, subreddits, forums, and newsletters dedicated to “game” or “seduction science”. 

The PUA industry is big business too with self-identified “gurus” charging thousands of dollars for seminars, courses, and boot camps.   

Because PUAs place so much value in attaining sexual success with women, they’re often disliked and derided by incels and MGTOW. But, like their manosphere neighbors, the PUA community has been accused of sexism, sexual objectification, and misogyny.

What’s the red pill?

MGTOW, incels, and other members of the manosphere often label themselves as “red pillers”. The concept of red pill and its opposite, blue pill, is taken from the 2000 movie The Matrix. Someone who chooses the red pill has accepted reality as it is, no matter how harsh or unfair it seems to them. On the other hand, a blue piller chooses to remain ignorant and blissfully unaware of the difficult and “true” nature of existence. 

Although it varies depending on the community, red pill in the manosphere usually involves the acceptance of the idea that feminism has made society biased against men. Red pillers congregate in places like the subreddit r/TheRedPill to talk about rejecting modern gender roles and sharing their toxic views on women. 

When incels raid the medicine cabinet, they often choose the black pill – an acceptance that there’s nothing a low-status or unattractive man can do to improve their chances of getting a girlfriend or sexual partner.

What can parents of boys do?

Although the manosphere’s toxic teachings aren’t limited to the internet, it’s in online communities where the most problematic ideology is shared and celebrated. 

The manosphere is a classic internet “iceberg” where you can start with relatively harmless trends, such as sigma and looksmaxxing content, and soon find yourself in the depths of toxicity where the most controversial and dangerous views are shared. And thanks to the way social media algorithms are developed, this can happen easily and very quickly. 

If you’re a concerned parent of a boy, here are a few ways you can protect them from the more harmful aspects of the manosphere.

1. Have open conversations

As boys transform into men, it’s natural for them to be curious about manhood and their place in the world. Parents should foster an environment where sons can feel comfortable talking about their thoughts and feelings, as well as what they encounter online. 

It’s a good idea to bring up the topics of gender roles, relationships, and masculinity too. It might feel awkward to talk about such things with your child, but remember, toxic internet communities are only too ready to fill the role. 

2. Encourage them to question everything 

One of the biggest issues facing internet users today -children and adults – is how to separate fact from false narratives which distort reality and sometimes promote harmful ideas.

Much of the content in the manosphere is biased and exists to push the creator’s ideology, so encourage your son to question the sources of content and the intentions behind it. 

3. Promote positive role models

Role models are important in a boy’s development, but unfortunately, the manosphere is not the place to find healthy, postive examples. Influencers and spokesmen in the space often rely on shock and radical opinions to spread their ideology while clocking up the views and likes. 

Help your son find male role models who demonstrate healthy masculinity and have respect for women, while encouraging them to learn from a variety of perspectives, regardless of gender. 

4. Monitor their online activity 

Websites, social media, forums, and subreddits, have allowed dangerous ideology to spread in a way that was impossible in pre-internet days. And so, a little parent intervention is sometimes required. 

A parental control tool like Qustodio allows you to keep an eye on the content your son is viewing and searching for, and block or limit access to apps and websites if need be.  

The struggles of being a boy in the image-obsessed age of social media are often overlooked. We’re all aware of the pressures put on girls to look and act a certain way, but boys have their own challenges to face. 

The manosphere can be a refuge for young males who feel like they don’t live up to the superhero-like men they see on social media; or for those who feel like they don’t fit in with modern society or have real-life role models.

Parents need to be aware of the toxic ideologies that lurk in the forums, sites, and profiles that make up the manosphere and be proactive in guiding their sons through the complexities of such content. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is undoubtedly one of the biggest technological breakthroughs since the birth of the internet, and while AI has made giant strides in the last few years, experts say we are just getting started. To put it in perspective, we are at the same point with AI as we were with the internet when it first arrived in many of our homes in the 90s.

Over the last 30 years, we’ve evolved alongside the internet, learning its capabilities, opportunities, and pitfalls – and now it’s time to do the same with AI. 

With children as young as 7 already embracing AI, many parents and teachers are concerned about the future of this technology, and whether or not dependence on AI could be detrimental to kids’ education and development.

What is AI?

You could think of AI as a robot that you want to help you solve puzzles. You start by showing the robot lots of puzzles and it attempts to solve them with smart guesses. Just like how we get better at something the more experience we have, the robot starts guessing correctly more and more often until it can solve any puzzle you throw at it. 

However, when people talk about AI in a homework sense, they’re usually talking about the generative AI tool ChatGPT. After the platform launched in 2022, people from all walks of life were amazed at ChatGPT’s ability to hold natural conversations, answer questions, and generate creative content – including jokes and songs!  

 How might kids use AI for homework?

To give you an idea of its capabilities, school children could use AI to:

• answer questions and carry out research 
• translate languages
• outline an essay
• write code
• break down and explain difficult concepts
• solve math problems and explain methodology
• check spelling and grammar
• provide writing prompts  
• generate practice questions in preparation for exams
• design study plans 
• convert text into speech for visually impaired students and vice versa for hearing-impaired students

Why are parents concerned about kids using AI for homework?

Shortly after ChatGPT was rolled out, some schools, including all those in New York City, banned its use due to concerns over cheating and its negative impact on student learning. However, these decisions were reversed once educators gained a better understanding of the technology. Today, many schools and educational institutes recognize the opportunities offered by AI tools and encourage their responsible use.

Although it may be allowed in schools in certain circumstances, many parents are cautious about their kids using AI for their studies and might have the following concerns. 

Kids might become over-reliant on AI at the expense of their creativity and critical thinking skills

Homework is meant to help students develop skills, reinforce knowledge, and practice concepts. So if AI does too much of the work, there is the risk that children won’t have to think for themselves and miss out on valuable learning opportunities.

Although this is a valid concern, it’s really about how AI is used rather than if it is used. With clearly defined rules around its use, AI can be used to foster creativity and practice critical thinking skills. For example, a creative writing student might use AI to generate an image or a writing prompt to spark imagination for a short story or poem. 

Using AI is cheating

A student who uses an AI tool like ChatGPT to complete their homework could be considered a cheat, depending on how they use it and their school’s policies.

For example, if a student uses AI to generate an entire essay or answer questions, and then submits the work as their own without stating they’ve used AI, that would be considered plagiarism. 

Teachers set homework so that children can develop their understanding, critical thinking, problem-solving, and writing skills outside of class. Excessive or irresponsible use of AI can destroy any chance of this happening.

That’s why many educational institutes now explicitly distinguish what they consider responsible AI use and cheating. 

AI might provide wrong or misleading information

When talking about ChatGPT’s limitations, its creators OpenAI admit that it “sometimes writes plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers,” which isn’t exactly ideal for students who want to pass their classes! 

ChatGPT’s authoritative voice makes it sound like it knows what it’s talking about, but it’s important to know where it gets its information. The AI chat tool relies on data it was trained on and statistical predictions rather than reasoning or accessing real-time knowledge.

This means it can generate information that is:

• Outdated. ChatGPT’s “built-in” knowledge is based on data available up to a certain point. For anything that happened after this, the tool would have to pull live information from the web. 
• Biased or inaccurate.  ChatGPT was trained on large amounts of publicly available information online – and we all know we shouldn’t trust everything we read on the internet!
• Just plain wrong. AI chat tools like ChatGPT generate text based on the data it was trained on – it doesn’t “understand” it the way humans do. This can result in responses that sound plausible but are completely false or make no sense. 

While AI tools are undoubtedly getting more intuitive, students should always verify responses using a reliable source (you can ask ChatGPT to provide its sources!)

Kids use technology too much as it is – AI just adds to the screen time

Balancing screen time with learning is a hot topic in education and parenting – and with kids becoming more reliant on AI tools we could see time on devices go up.

But, as with other forms of technology, AI should be seen as a resource to be used in conjunction with books and other tech-free tools and materials. Some parents use a parental control tool like Qustodio to help their children develop a healthier relationship with AI and technology in general.

AI platforms will collect my child’s personal information

To learn and improve, AI requires data – lots of data – and it sometimes gets it by tracking usage and collecting sensitive information the user has entered. This is particularly worrying for parents wanting to protect the privacy of their children online.

Most AI platforms understand these concerns and have measures in place to protect user data. For example, according to OpenAI’s privacy policy, ChatGPT: 

• anonymizes data in user conversations by removing personal identifiable information (PII). 
• doesn’t request or store sensitive information like names, addresses, or other PII.
• allows users to opt out of having their conversations used to improve the model.
• has age restrictions. To maintain compliance with privacy regulations like COPPA, ChatGPT users must be 13+, and users between 13-18 must have parental consent (although, with no age verification process, this can easily be ignored). 
• encrypts data shared in conversations to protect it from unauthorized access
• stores data for a limited time only.

Whichever AI platform your child uses, we recommend reading its privacy policy to get a better understanding of what it does with your kid’s data and to set your preferences.

Using AI for homework: 5 healthy AI habits

To start you and your child on the right path, here are 5 healthy AI habits:

1. Use AI as a supplement, not a substitute

No matter what some folk say, AI has not, and cannot, replace old-fashioned brain power. So rather than asking for answers to homework problems, kids can use AI to better understand concepts before solving them themselves. 

2. Ask better questions

The answers AI generates are only as good as the questions it’s asked – giving kids the opportunity to practice formulating clear and specific queries. Also, thoughtful follow-up questions can lead to deeper understanding.     

3. Verify with trusted sources

While they might communicate with confidence, AI chat tools’ answers can sometimes be outdated, biased, inaccurate, and just plain wrong!

So instead of blindly taking AI’s answers as fact, we can help our kids practice their cross-referencing skills with information from reliable and trusted sources.

4. Play with AI together

Sit down with your child and spend time experimenting with AI – maybe by creating funny images or songs together.

Not only will it be a chance for you both to learn more about AI capabilities, but it will also help your child feel more comfortable coming to you with their concerns about AI and its potential risks. 

5. Set fair limits

AI can be addictive and easy to overuse. As with other types of technology, it’s essential to establish a few ground rules for AI. Parents can use a parental control tool like Qustodio to block AI apps and websites from being opened, or set appropriate time limits for their usage.

With AI developing at such a rapid rate in recent years, it’s understandable that many people, especially parents, look at it with suspicion – and even fear. However, AI has the potential to be an incredible educational tool that can help our children on their learning journey. By teaching kids to use AI responsibly, we can not only help them pass classes and get better grades, but also better prepare them for an AI-powered future.