Parents raising young children in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) need to be aware of the potential risks of generative AI to ensure their safety and wellbeing as this rapidly evolving field takes shape.
Arabian Business spoke to an AI expert advisor who weighed in on the issue and suggested ways for parents to effectively deal with it.
“With some simple prompting from a user, generative AI produces content [like] text, images, video and audio that seem to have been created by a human being,” said Kurt Muehmel, Everyday AI strategic Advisor at Dataiku.
“It is impressive technology, but it lowers the cost of creating content that could be misleading, harmful or disturbing to children.”
Generative AI is not new, but greater access to the technology means that anyone with an internet connection can now produce AI-generated content.
When ChatGPT first launched in November 2022, it led to an explosion of similar tools and platforms all over the world, with big tech players and startups capitalising on the sudden interest.
Even before ChatGPT, children were already interacting with AI in many different ways, be it through toys, video games and adaptive learning software. When using YouTube or any form of social media, algorithms provide recommendations on what videos to watch next based on their preferences, who to be friends with, who to follow and even what music to listen to.
Although AI holds a lot of promise, it is important to prioritise the safety of children by taking the necessary steps to minimise potential risks.
Here’s a comprehensive safety guide for parents on generative AI.
Educate yourself and family about AI
The availability of numerous generative AI tools means that, with a simple prompt, children can ask any question and receive a detailed response. While this may be an advantage in educational cases, it can also be a disadvantage as it may provide them with information that might not perhaps be age appropriate.
Muehmel suggests that parents must educate themselves and their children on the capabilities and limitations of generative AI through reliable sources.
“Parents don’t need to know how this technology works, but they should, however, be aware of its capabilities and limitations, so that they can guide their children through its use,” he said, adding that parents should actively seek out information from reliable sources.
In the past, a talented digital artist would have been required to create an image of a person in a certain situation. Now, it can be done by almost anyone with internet access who is slightly tech savvy. From tools that can create AI-generated art with a simple prompt to deepfake technology, the possibilities are endless.
“Parents must ensure that their children are aware of these risks and that they advise them to be careful consumers and creators of this content.
“If the child sees something that looks real, they should first ask if it actually is real and if the source can be trusted. Similarly, if the child is using this technology, the parents need to ensure that they are doing so in line with the family’s values and rules for technology use,” Muehmel added.
Consider age-appropriate guidelines
Discuss age-appropriate guidelines on the appropriate use of generative AI and the potential risks of its misuse.
“In a safety guide for parents on generative AI, we should start with the same thing that we would recommend for any technology: an age-appropriate discussion with the children about the technology’s capabilities and its appropriate use, followed by ongoing supervision and discussion of its use.”
By considering age-appropriate guidelines and taking a proactive approach to safety, parents can help ensure that their child’s use of generative AI is enjoyable but secure.
One way to do this is to set parental controls to prevent misuse.
“Parental controls are certainly needed, as is the case for other common digital technologies,” added Muehmel.
“Parents need to take the responsibility to educate their children on these technologies and to supervise their use.”
Supervise children’s online activity
Supervise your children’s use of generative AI tools and encourage them to be careful consumers and creators of this content and ask if the content they see is real and verify the source before sharing it with others or believing it.
Younger children may require closer supervision, but older children may be able to handle more independence.
Setting clear boundaries and discussing expectations with your child can help promote safe and responsible use of these tools.
“We should highlight the risk of its misuse to quickly create harmful content, and its propensity to provide inaccurate answers to questions,” said Muehmel.
“Kids need to learn to be savvy consumers of this content.”
Platforms like ChatGPT could also do their homework for them, making them adopt an overly reliant attitude to technology. While it can be convenient to have an AI tool write an essay in under 30 seconds, it can prove to be counterproductive for these children in the long run.
Don’t ban generative AI tools
Despite the risks, the AI expert advised parents against forbidding the use of generative AI altogether, but to instead encourage their children to develop good habits for its use and highlight the positive benefits it offers.
“They should avoid attempting to ban them from their households as that tends to be counterproductive and prevents the child from benefiting from all the positive uses that the technology can offer,” he said.
“Its positive benefits will outweigh its negative harms and it will be a core technology that children will use throughout their lifetime. Developing good habits for its use now, will help them in the coming years.”
“Children can be cruel to one another, and I worry that these tools will make it easier for them to do so and will add yet another way for children to bully one another.”
While there are certainly risks involved, there is also a silver lining.
Generative AI tools are “great helpers and accelerators,” said Muehmel, citing their potential to increase productivity and revolutionise storytelling – children are no exception to this.
“They make it easier to do whatever it is that we want to do. This is the source of both my optimism and my worry.”
“Generative AI will make it easier for children to express their creativity; developing ideas for a story that then get fleshed out by the idea, describing illustrations that are then drawn by the AI, and so on.”
Family therapist’s AI concerns
As a therapist and mum-of-two, Priscilla J. Devan says she is concerned about the impact of generative AI on children’s minds and behaviour.
“If AI is going to generate perfect and flawless answers, we will short circuit the process of navigating through the uncomfortable and remove all learning opportunities to develop resilience,” Dubai-based Couple and Family Therapist and Director at Esther Project, Devan, told Arabian Business.
“This inevitably replaces problem solving skills which is akin to having our inconveniences removed. That’s a concern as it adversely impacts our capacity to think, learn and grow because we discover who we are and who we are not, when we take risks and are unafraid of failure and make mistakes.”
Agreeing with Muehmel, she said withholding or banning children from using generative AI tools at home is not the way to go.
“Technology is not as bad as it is made out to be. We, as parents, need to help our children adapt and transition well. Therefore, parents need to focus on strengthening their connection with their children to continuously have safety conversations and reinforce guidelines and boundaries,” she said.
The therapist advises parents to focus more on building trust with their children, rather than control them.
“Parenting has to be focused on not trying to fix what is wrong, but build on what is right.”
With the right oversight and guidance, children can stand to benefit from generative AI in education and creative pursuits with its potential to unlock new possibilities.
“Generative AI holds limitless cutting-edge possibilities of how this is going to transform children’s creativity and imagination to another level,” she said, highlighting the need to build on this upcoming generation’s tech savviness.
Devan said that she has set boundaries for children to use AI tools “wisely,” adding that parental advice can sometimes “fall into deaf ears” if not given in a nurturing, trusted and secure environment, she explained.
“Parenting in the age of generative AI has to be one where parents are intentionally nurturing a stable family environment that is authentic; not perfect or problem free but safe. One where children can have real conversations, problem solve and learn how to navigate through their challenges.
“I like to say to parents: ChatGPT may have all the answers, but how to apply information or answers to life and problem solve requires wisdom. Wisdom comes from mum and dad at home.”
Follow us on
