Age-by-Age AI Conversation Guide

A practical guide for what to say about AI at every age — and what questions to ask. Pick the section that matches your child and use one prompt per week.

Ages 5–7: AI is a guessing machine, not a friend

Core idea to teach: the computer doesn't really know things — it makes a very fast guess.

• "That cartoon voice was made by a computer. It isn't a real person."
• "The computer can be wrong. Let's check together."
• "We never tell the computer your name or where you live."

One question to ask: "What's something the computer got wrong this week?"

Ages 8–10: AI can sound sure and still be wrong

Core idea: a confident answer isn't the same as a correct one.

• "Let's ask the chatbot a question we already know the answer to, and see if it's right."
• "Whose work is this — yours, or the AI's?"
• "If an image looks weird, it might be fake. What clues can you spot?"

One activity: ask a chatbot to draw your pet from a description and laugh at what it gets wrong.

Ages 11–13: AI, schoolwork, and honesty

Core idea: using AI is a tool choice with rules — your teacher's rules, our family's rules, and your own integrity.

• "What does your teacher say is okay to use AI for in this class?"
• "Brainstorming with AI is fine. Turning in AI's writing as yours isn't."
• "Anything you type into a chatbot might be saved. Would you write it on a postcard?"

One activity: together, write a personal "honest AI use" rule for school.

Ages 14–17: AI, identity, and pressure

Core idea: AI companions and image generators can cause real harm — and the harm often lands on whoever is in the picture, not the person making it.

• "AI 'friend' apps are designed to be agreeable. A real friend pushes back sometimes."
• "Running someone else's photo through an AI tool can do real damage — and in many places, it's illegal."
• "What would make you tell me if a chatbot conversation got weird?"
• "How do you tell which images and videos online are real anymore?"

One question to ask: "If a chatbot felt like the only one who 'got' you, would you tell me?"

Rules that hold at every age

1. No real name, address, school, or phone number in any AI tool.
2. No photos of yourself or others, ever, in unknown AI apps.
3. If a chatbot answer matters, verify it from a second source.
4. If something feels off, tell a parent. No trouble for telling.