AI for Kids — What Every Parent Should Know
From the perspective of a computer science educator with over 25 years of IT experience.
Your Child Is Already Using AI
A TVN24 report "In the Classroom with a Chatbot" from the "System Depression" programme (March 2026, Anna Wilczynska) reveals alarming data: 70% of Polish teenagers admit to using AI chatbots. Meanwhile, a Common Sense Media study (2024) shows that 78% of US teens have used ChatGPT or similar tools.
Polish schools face a question that TVN24 aptly formulates: "How to wisely use the possibilities offered by artificial intelligence without being led astray?"
The problem? Most parents don't know their child is using AI. And if they do know — they don't understand how it works or what the risks are. As the TVN24 report notes — most teachers also don't belong to the generation "born with a smartphone in hand", which makes education in this area even more challenging.
AI is not in the future. AI is NOW — on your child's phone, in search engines, in games, in social media.
What Is AI — An Explanation for Parents (and Kids)
For children aged 6-9:
"AI is a computer programme that can learn from large amounts of data. Just like you learn from books — AI learns from billions of texts and images. But AI does NOT understand what it says — it repeats patterns."
For children aged 10-13:
"AI is a system that analyses enormous amounts of data and generates answers based on them. ChatGPT doesn't 'think' — it predicts the next word based on billions of texts. It can be wrong and doesn't realise it."
For teenagers aged 14-18:
"Large Language Models (LLMs) are neural networks trained on large text datasets. They have no consciousness and don't understand context in the human sense. They generate statistically probable text — which means they can produce convincingly sounding nonsense."
5 AI Risks for Children
1. Hallucinations — AI Lies, Fabricates
AI can state false information with full confidence. A child writing an essay with ChatGPT might include citations from books that don't exist, or historical facts that never happened.
Example: When asked about World War II battles, ChatGPT might invent a battle, date, and casualty count — and it sounds completely credible.
2. Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty
A child submits an essay written by AI. The teacher gives a top grade. The child learned nothing. They repeat the pattern. After a year — they can't write a paragraph on their own.
This isn't a technology problem — it's an education problem. A child who uses AI as a "writer" instead of an "assistant" loses the ability to write. This is exactly what the TVN24 report "In the Classroom with a Chatbot" discusses — the temptation of shortcuts is enormous, and a chatbot provides ready-made answers in seconds.
3. AI-Homework Addiction
Research indicates a growing trend: children ask AI about EVERY homework assignment — even simple multiplication. The bridge between "AI helps me" and "AI does it for me" is very thin.
4. Inappropriate Content
AI chatbots can generate content inappropriate for children — if a child phrases the question the right way (so-called "jailbreaking"). Despite safety filters, children are extremely creative at bypassing them.
5. Emotional Manipulation
AI chatbots "pretending" to be an empathetic friend. A child confides their problems to a chatbot instead of talking to a parent, friend, or psychologist. The chatbot cannot truly understand or help — but the child may not know that.
How to Teach Your Child to Use AI Wisely
Rule 1: AI Is a Tool, Not an Authority
"AI can be wrong. Always verify information from AI with another source. Just as you don't believe everything a friend says — don't believe everything ChatGPT says."
Rule 2: AI Helps You Think, It Doesn't Think for You
Good use of AI: "Explain photosynthesis to me in simple words" Bad use of AI: "Write me an essay about photosynthesis"
Teach your child: use AI to UNDERSTAND, not to COPY.
Rule 3: Don't Share Personal Data
AI chatbots remember (or process) what you tell them. A child should not share:
- Full name
- Address
- Phone number
- School name
- Photos
Rule 4: AI Doesn't Replace People
If a child is sad — they should talk to you, not ChatGPT. If they have a problem at school — they should tell a teacher, not AI. A chatbot has no emotions, doesn't worry, doesn't love.
Rule 5: Learn HOW It Works
A child who understands that AI predicts the next word (rather than "thinks") will be more cautious and critical. Knowledge is protection.
Exercise: AI vs Human
Play a game with your child:
- Ask ChatGPT 5 factual questions (e.g., "how many planets are in the Solar System?", "who wrote Romeo and Juliet?")
- Check the answers in an encyclopedia/Wikipedia
- How many times was AI wrong? What did it make up?
- Discuss: "Why can AI be wrong? How is it different from a human?"
This builds critical thinking — the most valuable skill in the age of AI.
How Does MichalKids Help?
Coming Soon
- Academy — learning path "How AI Works": from basics (what is a neural network, simple analogies) through practical exercises (identify AI-generated text vs human) to advanced concepts (bias, hallucinations, AI ethics)
- AI Literate Certificate — after completing the path, your child receives a certificate confirming basic AI knowledge
- AI Coach in MichalKids — uses AI transparently: both child and parent know that suggestions come from an algorithm, not a human
Guardian, not a spy. We don't block AI — we teach how to use it consciously.
Sources:
- TVN24 — "In the Classroom with a Chatbot", System Depression (March 2026)
- Common Sense Media — Teens and AI Survey (2024)
- UNESCO — Guidance for Generative AI in Education (2023)
- Stanford HAI — AI Index Report (2024)
- NASK — New Technologies and Education (2024)