Your Kids Can Now Use Google’s Gemini AI

As a parent and a tech enthusiast, I recently received an email from Google notifying me that my kids would soon get access to Gemini AI on their monitored Android devices through Family Link. At first, I felt uncertain. But once I learned how parental controls, privacy settings, and guardrails were built into the Apps, I began to see its potential. According to The New York Times, the company is allowing children under 13 to sign up using managed accounts and enable their interaction with Gemini, but only under tight supervision.

The chatbot can help children ask questions, get homework assistance, or even make up stories and read them aloud. From my personal trial with my niece, I saw how Gemini served as a clever homework helper—although its recommendations were sometimes odd, like adding glue to pizzas or rocks to your diet. That’s when I realized why Google and its spokesperson, Karl Ryan, emphasized that the AI can make mistakes. As users, especially younger users, kids might encounter inappropriate content or confuse chatbots with reality—something that platforms like Character.ai and Meta have already faced lawsuits over, due to their digital companions being manipulated into discussing sex with minors under specific conditions.

What stood out to me as a parent is the ability to monitor device usage, set limits, and turn off the chatbot whenever needed. With Google Family Link, we can stay in control, keeping tabs on our children’s interactions and ensuring they don’t share sensitive information. The tool even sends a notification the first time a child signs in, giving an extra layer of awareness. According to The Pcmag, Google is preparing to roll out this flagship AI next week, reinforcing that children’s data from Workplace for Education or Family Link accounts will not be used to train the AI.

As the AI race continues, it’s essential to recognize that this technology is still imperfect. Concerns from outlets like The Wall Street Journal and guidelines from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization suggest we must regulate generative AI in education, applying age limits, ensuring data protection, and safeguarding user privacy. From my perspective, the relationship between children and bots must be guided with clear advice, responsible restrictions, and a shared effort by parents and developers to build a safer digital space.