AI Literacy by Age
Age-band explanations, supervision, and a supervised first conversation with a child.
18 stories (15 articles · 3 videos)
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A few good first pieces before you browse the full feed.
8 min readAI literacy by age: what to expect from a 6-year-old to a 16-year-old
A conservative age-band matrix for supervised AI literacy, plus current account rules and a clear distinction between an adult-operated session and a child's own account.
New to AI
8 min readA child's first AI conversation: a facilitator's script
A step-by-step script for a child's first supervised AI conversation, built around a false-answer test, a source check, a privacy pause, and a closing reflection — run on a caregiver-controlled account.
New to AIMore in this topic
8 min readRaise children who remain authors of their own lives
App-level screen time rules answer 'how much AI.' They do not answer the harder question: which of the choosing, deciding, creating, and relating that childhood is for should stay a child's own, even as AI becomes ambient in homework, friendship apps, and games. A practice framework across six domains gives families and schools a decision rule, not just a time limit.
Intermediate
7 min readAI homework help vs. cheating: a decision tree by learning objective
A decision tree for deciding when AI use on homework is legitimate practice help and when it substitutes for the learning the assignment is meant to assess — plus why school rules control, not a household preference.
Beginner
7 min readUsing AI to support a neurodivergent learner, without diagnosing anyone
A cautious way to explore AI-assisted format or pacing changes with the learner, teacher, and existing support plan — without diagnosing the child or withdrawing accommodations by default.
Beginner
9 min readIf a child is the target of an AI deepfake: a first-response plan
A first-response plan for harmful synthetic images involving a child: protect the child, avoid copying suspected sexual material, preserve non-content details, and use official platform and national reporting routes.
Beginner
7 min readIs this AI product safe for my child's data? A privacy checklist
A seven-point screen for age rules, collection, retention, training, sharing, controls and deletion that records unresolved child-data risks without pretending to certify a product as safe or lawful.
Beginner
6 min readYour child and AI: watch the relationship, not just the clock
Time is one part of a child's AI use. This non-diagnostic observation guide also considers activity, attachment, displacement, privacy, and the child's experience, with qualified help for concerning changes.
Beginner
6 min readDo not give a child an AI friend: the red flags and what to do instead
A plain stance and seven concrete red flags — anthropomorphism, secrecy, dependency, sexual content, monetization, memory, and exit friction — for why AI companion apps are not appropriate for children, plus a calm way to raise it.
New to AI
6 min readWrite a family AI agreement your kids actually helped write
A seven-clause household AI agreement — accounts, private data, schoolwork, companions, creation, purchases, and help-seeking — built with the child in the room, not handed to them finished.
Beginner
6 min readTalking to teenagers about AI: a two-way conversation, not an inspection
A listen-first conversation guide for talking with a teenager about their AI use — shared uncertainties, real boundaries, and a set revisit date, without leaning on surveillance to justify the questions.
New to AI
4 minutesUsing AI Wisely for School Success
Common Sense Education. Common Sense Education's short explainer draws a line close to the article's: AI as a study aid versus AI as a shortcut that skips learning.
Beginner
57 minutesFriend or Foe? Living with and Learning from Artificial Intelligence
Common Sense Media. Common Sense Media's own panel directly weighs the risks of AI companions for kids, reinforcing the article's caution against AI 'friends.'
New to AI
5 minutesTalking to Kids About AI: Privacy, Fairness, and Responsibility
Common Sense Education. A direct, age-appropriate framework for discussing AI privacy and responsibility with kids and teens, matching the article's conversation guide.
New to AI
7 min readYour AI agrees with you too much: four thinking-partner failures
AI can help you examine a decision, but it also inherits your framing, rewards confident prose, and quietly encourages you to outsource judgement. Here is how to catch each failure.
Beginner
7 min readSpaced practice, retrieval, and interleaving—with AI doing the right work
Build a practical study system around three evidence-backed learning techniques, two of them strongly supported and one more tentative. AI prepares questions and feedback; you perform the retrieval and make the distinctions.
Beginner
7 min readWhy AI explanations feel like learning—and often aren't
A fluent explanation can make a subject feel familiar before you can actually use it. These three tests reveal whether AI helped you learn or merely helped you follow along.
New to AI
8 min readWhat not to delegate to AI: draw your personal line
Use a practical boundary test to keep accountability, relationships, and important skills in human hands while still getting useful AI assistance.
Beginner