Born between 2010 and 2025, Generation Alpha is the first cohort to grow up fully immersed in artificial intelligence. For them, AI assistants, voice interfaces, and chatbots are not novelties; they are everyday utilities. Children are using AI for homework help, gaming, entertainment, and social interaction before they fully understand AI safety, how these systems work.
This shift is forcing parents, educators, and regulators to confront a new question: are children gaining access to powerful technologies before they have the literacy to use them safely? On Safer Internet Day, Kaspersky cybersecurity experts are urging families to treat AI not as a gadget, but as a system that requires guidance, boundaries, and supervision.
AI Safety Awareness For Children Starts at Home
Children are discovering tools such as chatbots and voice assistants earlier than any previous generation encountered search engines. Many see them as friendly helpers rather than complex software systems that can make mistakes or reflect biased data.
Parents are increasingly being advised to act as “AI translators.” That means explaining that digital assistants are not friends or authorities, but tools that produce answers based on patterns in data. These responses can be incomplete, inaccurate, or inappropriate.
Teaching children to cross-check information, ask follow-up questions, and consult multiple sources mirrors the critical thinking already expected in school research. Experts also caution that children should never rely on AI for advice about health, safety, or personal problems, and should avoid sharing private data with such systems.
Safety Filters And Parental Controls Matter
Most AI-enabled devices and apps include content filters, privacy settings, and usage controls. Yet these tools often remain unused. Security experts recommend that parents review these settings and adjust them based on a child’s age and maturity.
In cases where platforms offer limited controls, third-party parental tools can help manage screen time, block inappropriate content, and monitor app activity. The goal is not total restriction, but structured access.
Verifying AI Apps and Staying Involved
The rapid rise of AI apps has created a crowded marketplace, including unreliable or unsafe tools. Parents are advised to download apps only from official stores and verify the companies behind them. Limiting app permissions also reduces unnecessary data exposure.
Equally important is conversation. Asking children how they use AI, what questions they ask, and what answers they receive creates openness and trust.
