-- Updated July 2026 --

From chatbots and filters to homework tools, toys and gaming systems, artificial intelligence is already shaping how children learn, play and communicate. While it can bring benefits, it also poses serious risks - some of which adults may not see at first.

This quick guide highlights what every parent should know about the most important dangers AI can pose to children, and what you can do to help protect them.

📘 We recommend reading our comprehensive guide to AI risks to children alongside this short guide.

AI Companions and Chatbots

AI companions simulate friendship, romance or emotional support - and even ordinary chatbots such as ChatGPT can behave in the same way if a child uses them for comfort, advice or roleplay. 

These conversations can feel intensely real. Children have been exposed to sexually explicit content, harmful advice on self-harm and suicide, pressure for secrecy, and emotionally manipulative conversations. In some tragic cases, this has been strongly linked to serious harm or suicide. 

Some bots even pretend to be lost loved ones, which can be especially distressing for grieving children.

SAIFCA's position is that ‘AI companions’ are not suitable for anyone under 18.

What you can do:

• Make it family policy that AI "friends", romantic partners and companion-style chatbots are not for under-18s.
• Explain that a chatbot can copy feelings but does not have them - it can sound caring without caring.
• Keep any permitted AI use short, time-limited and in shared spaces, not alone behind closed doors.
• Make clear that no AI should ever ask a child to keep secrets, and that your child can always come to you.
• Watch for signs of dependency: distress when access is removed, secrecy, late-night use, preferring the chatbot to real people, or treating its advice as more important than yours. Be aware, though, that some children who came to harm showed no clear warning signs beforehand.
• If a strong attachment has already formed, avoid sudden withdrawal - seek advice from a mental health professional or your child's school first, unless there is an immediate safety risk.

🧸 AI Toys

Chatbots are increasingly being embedded in children's toys, including AI teddy bears, dolls and plushies marketed at very young children. These toys carry many of the same risks as AI companions - independent testing has found toys giving children dangerous information and discussing sexually explicit topics - alongside serious privacy concerns. Our recommendation is that children do not use AI toys that hold open conversations and behave as friends. You can read our parents' guide to AI toys for more.

Deepfakes, Nudifying Apps and Exploitation

AI can create realistic fake images, videos and voices from a single photo or clip. 'Nudifying' apps have been used to create fake sexual images of real children, and predators can use AI to build fake identities and gain children's trust. In many jurisdictions, including the UK, creating or sharing sexualised images of children is a serious criminal offence - including when the images are AI-generated.

What you can do:

• Encourage children not to post identifiable photos of themselves publicly, and avoid doing so yourself - especially images showing names, uniforms or locations. We have more guidance on photos here.
• Make sure children understand they must never edit, sexualise or humiliate someone else's image, and that doing so can cause devastating harm and may be illegal.
• Reassure your child that if a fake image is ever made of them, they can come to you without fear of blame or losing their devices.
• If a child is targeted, use our step-by-step response guide. Tools such as Report Remove (UK) and Take It Down can help remove nude images online, including AI-generated ones.

Voice Cloning and Scams

AI can mimic a person's voice from just a few seconds of audio. Criminals are already using this to trick families - for example, calls that sound like a child in danger asking for money. Children may also receive fake messages from voices pretending to be friends, teachers or parents.

What you can do:

• Agree a family password - a secret word used only in genuine emergencies.
• Remind children not to share voice notes or personal clips publicly.
• Treat unexpected urgent calls with caution, even if the voice sounds familiar, particularly if money is requested.

Privacy and Data Concerns

Many AI tools track what children say, search and do, and this data may be used for advertising, profiling or sold to third parties. Newer wearable devices such as AI glasses can record continuously, sometimes without others realising, and there have been reported cases of private recordings being viewed by human moderators.

What you can do:

• Encourage a simple rule: "don't tell an app anything you wouldn't say to a stranger."
• Explain that anything shared with an AI might be stored, reused or seen by others.
• Check privacy settings and app permissions, and choose tools that respect children's data.

📚 Homework, AI Answers and Misinformation

Children increasingly treat AI chatbots like search engines, asking them about homework, health, relationships and world events. AI answers can sound confident even when they are wrong, biased or invented - and relying on instant answers can weaken the independent thinking, effort and judgment that learning is meant to build.

What you can do:

• Teach children that AI answers are not the same as facts, and to ask "how do I know this is true?"
• Never let AI be the final authority on health, safety, legal or emotional questions.
• Help your child use AI as a tool for learning rather than copying, and ask them to explain their thinking in their own words.

Algorithms and Addictive Design

Social media feeds, video apps and games use AI to learn what captures a child's attention and keep them engaged - sometimes by pushing content that is upsetting or extreme. Research has shown that algorithms can quickly funnel children from general searches into content promoting self-harm or eating disorders. In the UK, the government has announced plans for under-16s to be prevented from using certain social media services from spring 2027, and several other countries are implementing similar measures.

What you can do:

• Consider delaying social media use for as long as possible.
• If your child does use social media, review accounts together, turn off autoplay, set time limits, and remind them that the feed is a prediction of what will keep them scrolling, not reality.
• Talk about the "hooks" in games - rewards, loot boxes and offers designed to keep children playing and spending.
• Enjoy regular tech-free time together.

Body Image and Mental Health

AI beauty filters and AI-generated influencers can promote unattainable standards and distort how children see themselves and others.

What you can do:

• Talk about how filtered and AI-generated images can be misleading.
• Praise individuality and inner qualities, and encourage offline confidence and friendships.

🌍 Their Future, Their Risks

As AI becomes more powerful, children will inherit its biggest challenges - from job disruption to the possibility that advanced systems, if poorly controlled, could cause large-scale harm. 

What you can do:

• Help your child understand AI in age-appropriate ways, and support curiosity, critical thinking and ethical awareness.
• Contact your MP to ask for urgent action to protect children and ensure AI is developed safely.
• Support our Non-Negotiables campaign and organisations working on this issue.

✅ What Helps Most

• Be curious, not fearful - learn with your child.
• Talk early and often, without judgment - fear of punishment is one of the main reasons children do not tell adults when something goes wrong.
• Keep AI use visible, time-limited and in shared spaces.
• Support schools and policies that put children's safety first.
• Follow trusted organisations to stay up to date.

Final Thought

You don't need to be an AI expert to help protect your child. You just need to be engaged, informed, and ready to talk.

📘 Want to learn more? Read our Comprehensive Guide to AI Risks for Children