I Talked to 2nd Graders About AI
Three simple rules for kids and how parents can reinforce them at home
When I asked a room full of 7-year-olds if they knew what AI was, every hand shot up.
I was invited to speak to my daughter’s 2nd-grade class about AI. As someone who talks about AI with the kids in my life, I’m always surprised by how they see and interpret the world.
Our Kids Are Digital Natives
We’ve had a Google Assistant in our kitchen for as long as I can remember. My kids have been giving voice commands since they learned to talk - asking about the weather, setting timers, or requesting songs. Early on, the assistant got things wrong because their words weren’t clear. But now they’re completely comfortable with voice AI, mostly using it to play KPOP Demon Hunters songs on repeat. The video recommendations from YouTube or Netflix seem so intuitive through their lens.
This fluency is remarkable, but it also raises the stakes. Because our kids are AI natives, they’re encountering these tools younger, more often, and with less hesitation than we did. That comfort can be a double-edged sword. Without guidance, they might share personal information with a chatbot the same way they’d tell a friend, or trust AI-generated content without questioning it. The very ease that makes them natural adopters also makes safety education essential.
As a mother, I naturally gravitate towards wanting to talk about AI safety with kids. With Claude Code, I put together a presentation deck for the class and a flyer for parents summarizing what I shared, along with additional safety tips.
Three Simple Rules I Shared With the Class
The Grown-Up Rule
Always ask a parent or teacher before using AI, just like you’d ask before going to a new website or app.
The Privacy Rule
Never tell AI your name, address, your school’s name, phone number, or passwords. AI doesn’t need to know these things about you.
The Truth Rule
AI is really smart, but it can make mistakes. If AI tells you something that sounds wrong or confusing, ask a grown-up to help you check if it’s true.
I learned that kids are naturally curious, and they asked lots of good questions. They’re already intuitively using applications with built-in AI.
Everyday Teaching Moments
The best conversations about AI don’t need to be planned—they happen naturally.
My kids have heard me complain about AI-generated copycat songs that YouTube automatically plays in our car. What started as an annoyance has become a teaching moment. We now talk about the difference between original creators and AI replicas.
I’ve heard from several parents about creative ways they use AI at home. One example that comes up often: using ChatGPT as a bedtime story writer. Kids choose the topic, a princess and her unicorn on a rescue mission, a dinosaur detective etc., and AI generates a custom story every night.
It’s a creative use of the technology, but it also made me wonder: if we lean on AI for everyday creative tasks, what does that teach our kids about their own imagination? There’s probably a balance, mixing AI-generated stories with ones we make up together, or letting kids create their own endings.
How Parents Can Reinforce These Lessons
Model good AI usage by narrating when you’re using AI tools and why
Supervise AI interactions and set clear boundaries about when and how children can use AI
Discuss recommendations and why AI makes certain suggestions
Talk about the difference between AI assistance and human creativity and judgment
Encourage critical thinking by validating whether AI-generated answers make sense and exploring other sources (like books) to confirm
Preserve space for creativity by balancing AI-assisted activities with opportunities for kids to create, imagine, and problem-solve on their own
Be thoughtful about images. AI tools that edit or generate images often store and use photos in ways we don’t fully control. Think twice before uploading your child’s photos to AI applications
The Bottom Line
AI is a powerful tool, but it works best when paired with human wisdom, creativity, and critical thinking. Your guidance helps your child develop healthy digital citizenship skills for the future.
Have you talked to the kids in your life about AI? I’d love to hear what surprised you.