# Child Human-Authorship Principles

Use with [Raise Children Who Remain Authors of Their Own Lives](/articles/raising-children-human-authorship).

## The six domains of authorship

For any AI use your child encounters, ask which side of the line it falls on:

| Domain | Child stays the author when... | AI has taken over when... |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Creating | AI helps organize or polish work the child produced first | AI generates the substance; child submits it as their own |
| Deciding | AI presents options; the child weighs and chooses | The child asks AI what to do and just does that |
| Relating | AI helps draft or rehearse a message the child sends as themselves | AI companionship substitutes for effort in real friendships |
| Learning | The child attempts first, checks or gets feedback second | AI produces the answer; the attempt is skipped |
| Repairing mistakes | The child owns and communicates their own apology | AI drafts an apology the child never has to feel or mean |
| Serving others | The child does the actual task of helping | AI produces the appearance of contribution the child didn't make |

## Family rollout checklist

- [ ] Had an open, non-judgmental conversation with my child about what they currently use AI for.
- [ ] Picked two domains to focus on first (recommended: Learning and Relating).
- [ ] Wrote the family rule down briefly, not just agreed verbally.
- [ ] Set a quarterly review date, not an annual one.
- [ ] Checked what AI-use policy my child's school actually has.
- [ ] Adjusted the framework for any accessibility or multilingual need rather than applying a blanket
      restriction.

## Age-threshold starting points (adjust to your child's actual maturity)

- Independent, unsupervised AI companion-app use: Common Sense Media rates social AI
  companions an unacceptable risk for anyone under 18 and recommends no use by minors —
  treat that as the default family rule unless a clinician has advised a specific exception.
- "Attempt first" homework norm: appropriate from the age a child can attempt independent written work
  at all.
- School-tool validation: a parent question to ask at every grade transition, not a one-time check.

## Quarterly review questions

1. What is my child using AI for now that they weren't three months ago?
2. In which of the six domains have I noticed AI doing more of the work than my child?
3. Does our family rule still match what my child actually encounters at school and on their devices?

## What this cannot do

No framework can forecast what skills your child's future will require. This tool is meant to preserve
choice, effort, voice, and responsibility as durable capacities — not to predict which specific tools or
skills will matter in twenty years.