AI Is Already in Your Child’s Life - Are You Talking About It?

AI is already here

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a far-off futuristic concept. It’s here. It’s in our homes, workplaces, and even in our kids’ pockets. From ChatGPT to recommendation algorithms on YouTube and Spotify, AI is now part of the digital fabric our children are growing up in. Adults need to grapple with how it is going to impact their work in both the short and long term. But our kids are already looking further ahead. They’re aware that their adulthoods are going to be vastly different again.

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And we know they know this, because we asked them.

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What students told us

We surveyed over 5,000 Year 5/6 students (11-12 years old) from across Australia to find out how they feel about AI. Their responses revealed an interesting mix of excitement and concern.

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While some of their worries were more far-fetched (more than one suggested AI would lead to an apocalyptic event) many of their responses showed a deep level of understanding of the very real risks and challenges that lie ahead.  Kids are trying to make sense of a fast-moving technology that even adults are still learning to navigate. Our best chance at helping them is to ensure they feel informed, empowered and, where we can, hopeful.

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Many of their responses showed a deep level of understanding of the very real risks and challenges that lie ahead. 

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One important way AI is showing up in children’s lives is through social media. On Snapchat, for example, there's a feature called "My AI",  a chatbot that acts like a friendly companion. Students tell us they use it to ask questions, get help, or simply chat. It sounds harmless… until you read the fine print. Recently, Snapchat issued a disclaimer: The AI may be biased, incorrect, harmful, or misleading. Don’t rely on it for advice. Yet it remains active and accessible for children, often without parental oversight.

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Another platform gaining traction is Character.AI, a website where users can chat with AI-generated characters, including celebrities, fictional personas, or historical figures. Some chats are educational. Others are highly inappropriate, unfiltered, or even sexualised - and yes, primary school students are finding their way onto this platform too.

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Start the conversation

As parents, it can feel overwhelming trying to keep up. But the solution isn’t to panic, it’s to start the conversation.

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Ask your child:

• How are you already interacting with AI tools? (like ChatGPT, Gemini, Character.ai etc)
• Are the responses always accurate or trustworthy? How do you know?
• What are some things AI isn’t good at?
• What is something you’ve seen AI do that amazed you?

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Keep the tone open and curious. You don’t need to have all the answers but being part of the conversation helps your child build important critical thinking and digital literacy skills.

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By Bess Naughtin