Commercial platforms like Gemini are the wild west of AI for kids. Google’s upcoming move to allow children under 13 to access Gemini through parent-managed accounts might seem convenient, but I believe we need to start somewhere safer. When you give kids guardrails with technology, it’s just like the way you put ratings on movies or decide what TV shows they can watch.
The question isn’t whether kids will encounter AI, but how and when. These kids are gonna grow up in a world of AI and they won’t even know the difference between what is happening in AI and what isn’t happening in AI, just as we don’t even think about using internet anymore. It’s just part of our lives.
Start With What They Know
I think an ideal first AI experience for a child should feel like a game. At Family Voices AI, we have them spin a wheel, like wheel of fortune. It feels fun. It’ll land on a question, they’ll answer it, and it’s just like show and tell. They get to tell their own stories.
Then you build a quick avatar, and have them interact with that avatar to show them how the questions they answered created a virtual version of themselves they could talk to. And then you give them one that’s already been pre-made, like grandma, and have them talk to that one and explain this is how we made grandma’s voice.
When you attach the learning to something they’re familiar with, it’s like comparing learning from your mom or dad versus learning from a stranger. Having a familiar voice triggers something different in our brain than having an unfamiliar voice. While our Family Voices technology still uses synthetic voices, they’re cloned from real family voices, creating that crucial connection.
Setting Boundaries Before Exploration
You can’t just let kids have AI without talking to them first. You need to give them guardrails, such as topics they can and can’t talk about, and make sure that the platform itself has guardrails about things they can and can’t talk about.
This approach is fundamentally different from jumping straight into commercial platforms. When children first encounter AI through family stories and voices, they learn about the technology in a controlled, meaningful environment. They see how it works using content that matters to them personally, rather than generic responses from an unknown entity.
The Reality of Digital Privacy
I’ve talked about this so many times. Our voice data and all of our data is already out there. If we think that we’re protecting ourselves by opting out, it’s the equivalent of raking sand on the beach. It’s impossible to protect all of your data right now.
So by creating the definitive version of your clone or creating the definitive version of your family’s voices, you then say, well, if it wasn’t spoken by this one or it wasn’t created by this, then it wasn’t real. It’s the same as the way that people use X and they use the handle “TheRealJonathanGrossman” or the real so-and-so.
Rather than fighting a losing battle against data collection, we can establish authentic versions of our digital selves that we control. For children, this creates a foundation for understanding digital identity in a family context before they venture into commercial platforms.
Building Digital Literacy Through Connection
Kids need an entry point to AI literacy because these technologies will be ubiquitous in their lives. The question is whether that entry point comes through family stories or through commercial platforms designed primarily for profit.
It’s all about the vehicle. You can have them learn about AI through shoot-em-up first-person games or you can have them learn about AI through storytelling and compassionate experiences with family members. It’s all about how you want to create the groundwork.
When children first experience AI through family stories, they learn not just how the technology works, but how it can preserve connections, share knowledge, and bring people together. They develop a relationship with technology that’s grounded in human connection rather than consumption.
A Foundation For The Future
As Google and other companies race to introduce AI to younger users, parents have an opportunity to shape their children’s first encounters with these powerful tools. By starting with family-centered AI experiences, we can help kids develop a healthier, more balanced understanding of what AI is and what it can do.
The digital groundwork we lay today will shape how our children interact with technology for decades to come. When we introduce AI through family stories and voices, we’re teaching them that technology should serve human connection, not replace it.
This approach doesn’t mean avoiding commercial platforms forever. It means creating a strong foundation of understanding before children venture into the wild west of commercial AI. Just like we teach kids to swim in the shallow end before they dive into the ocean.