AI and kids: what parents need to know in 2026

Your child opens a chat window and types a question into an AI tool. You have no idea if that tool suits their age, or if anyone built it with children in mind.

The rules changed a lot this summer. Here's where things stand in September 2026.

The age limits

ChatGPT and Google Gemini both set their minimum age at 13. Claude, made by Anthropic, goes further. You have to be 18, and there's no route in for younger users, even with a parent's permission.

On 18 August 2026 OpenAI launched ChatGPT for Teens, a separate version for 13 to 17 year olds. It restricts content around self-harm and romantic or sexual chat, and it steers teens toward learning over ready-made answers. OpenAI also estimates each user's age. If it thinks your child is under 18, or they say they're 13 to 17, ChatGPT moves them into the teen version automatically.

Gemini lets under-13s in through a supervised Google Family Link account, but only after a parent switches it on. You get an email the first time your child opens the app.

At school, pupils aged 13 and over can use Microsoft Copilot through their school account without a parent's consent. That's been the case since July 2025.

UK rules are tightening

The Online Safety Act was written before chatbots took off, and one-to-one chats with an AI fell outside it. Two laws passed in April 2026, the Crime and Policing Act and the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act, give ministers new powers to close that gap and to restrict children's access to specific features. Ofcom can fine a company up to 10% of its worldwide revenue for serious breaches. Expect more detailed rules over the next year.

The tools worth knowing

ChatGPT for Teens

Ages 13 to 17 · Free

Link your account to your teen's and you can set quiet hours, switch off image generation, opt them out of model training and get an alert if the system spots a serious self-harm risk. You can't read their chats. OpenAI only shares what a parent needs to act in a safety emergency.

Gemini with Google Family Link

Under 13 with a parent's go-ahead · Free

Good for visual projects and stories with younger children. For ages 3 to 8, try Gemini Storybook from your own account. You make the story together, so your child doesn't need an account at all.

Khanmigo

Free for UK teachers · Not sold to UK families

Khan Academy's tutor asks questions and guides children toward the answer without handing it over. The catch for UK parents: family plans need a US billing address, so you can't subscribe from here. UK teachers get the teacher tools free, so ask your child's school if they use it.

By age group

Primary (ages 5 to 11)

Parent-led tools only. Gemini Storybook from your account, or tools your school provides. Open-ended chat gives a child this age too much room.

Secondary (ages 11 to 16)

Under 13, stick with Gemini through Family Link. From 13, ChatGPT for Teens or Gemini's teen version, with one household rule: AI can help you think, but you do the thinking.

The rule that matters more than any tool

Teachers and researchers keep landing on the same point. AI helps a child learn as long as the child still does the thinking. Once the AI does the thinking, the learning stops.

Four rules for homework

Ask AI to explain it. Don't ask it to write it.
Check what it tells you against a second source
If you can't explain the answer in your own words, you haven't learned it yet
Never enter your name, school, address or personal details

AI makes things up. It states wrong facts with total confidence, invents references and muddles dates. Treat every answer as a starting point, and check anything important with a textbook, a teacher or a trusted website.

Your child will meet AI whether you plan for it or not. Teach them to treat it like a library: a place to look things up, with the work still theirs.