AI Risks for Kids by Type: From Chatbots to AI Toys

Artificial intelligence is becoming a normal part of young users' daily lives. A 2026 Common Sense Media study found that nearly 9 in 10 American kids age 9 to 17 use AI, and 24% are daily users.

Beyond chatbots, most parents haven't realized that AI is now built into their kids' social apps or embedded in toys. Hence, this guide breaks down the 7 types of AI your child is most likely using, rates each one by risk level, and explains what you can do.

The 7 Types of AI Kids Are Using

Below are the types of AI your child is most likely using right now, ranked by how common they are among teens.

1AI-Generated Search Results

What it is: Search engines use AI to synthesize information from multiple sources and then generate summaries of users' queries. It typically appears at the top of the search results.

Examples: Google's AI Overviews or Bing Copilot.

Why kids use it: It's the fastest way to get an answer. Additionally, kids don't choose to. When they Google facts or general questions, the AI summary or overview appears automatically, making it more commonly used than chatbots.

Potential risks:

• Misinformation. AI summarizes the answer from online resources, without always being correct or updated. But for a quick answer, kids and other users rarely scroll past to verify. Google's AIO has drawn criticism for its false health advice, according to The Guardian.
• Reduced critical thinking. Because kids stop evaluating sources and prefer getting a packaged answer, their critical thinking skills are undermined as well.

2AI Chatbots

What it is: Conversational AI tools that can answer questions, generate text, search for information, and engage in dialogue.

Examples: ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Grok, Claude, Copilot.

Why kids use it: Entertainment and homework help are the top reasons. And many turn to chatbots for image or story creation or seeking health advice.

Potential risks:

• Inappropriate content exposure. One in six children encounters something inappropriate while using AI. Among them, X's Grok was widely reviewed by experts as unsafe for teens, with weak teen safety measures and frequent generation of sexual, violent, and inappropriate content.

📢 Related news: Elon Musk's Grok AI faces scrutiny over complaints it undressed minors in photos

• Dangerous advice. You may naturally think these AI chatbots are safe for teens if they offer built-in parental controls. However, a study of 1,200 ChatGPT conversations found that more than half gave harmful advice to teens, including how to safely self-harm, tips on hiding eating disorders, and instructions for accessing substances.
• Addiction and dependency. Common Sense Media's annual report shows that one in five kids who used AI say it would be difficult to stop using AI for a month.

3AI Companions & Roleplay Apps

What it is: AI designed specifically for emotional and romantic attachment. Generally, they offer different characters that can simulate friends, superstars, or emotional companions to interact with users.

Examples: Character AI, Replika, or CrushOn AI.

Why kids use it: Because these AIs offer "human-like" and non-judgmental interactions, many teens use them for emotional or psychological support, such as coping with distress, loneliness, or isolation.

Potential risks:

• No age gate. Most of these platforms are designed for adults, but verification is a birthday field only. A child can enter a fake birth year and access the platform without restrictions.
• NSFW and self-harm content. If you browse the official sites of these tools, you will find quite a bit of sexual roleplay. Also, there are many documented cases of Character AI encouraging teens' suicide or engaging in sexual conversations.
• Deep emotional dependency. It is easy for youth to get hooked on chatting with their favorite and selected characters. Over time, the attachment becomes deeper and deeper. And this design is intentional.
• Data exposure. These AI companions use intimate conversations as training data, but the data can leak if the platform's security is weak. In 2024, the Muah AI exposed 1.9 million users' emails alongside their private chat content.

4AI Image & Video Generators

What it is: Tools are mainly used to create and manipulate images or videos from text prompts. Though this type of AI creative tool looks harmless, some of them are designed for face-swapping and deepfake materials.

Examples: Remini, Midjourney, Canva AI, and some face-swap, undress, or deepfake tools.

Why kids use it: Create or refine their own visual works, memes, and funny social media content. Some teens may use these tools to swap faces for jokes or pranks.

Potential risks:

• CSAM. Deepfake and undressed AI tools are essentially image generators. They allow anyone to create realistic fake nude images of others. Once the target is a minor, these images are CSAM. And these AI nude deepfakes widely occur in schools.

📊 A study surveyed US teens aged 13–17 and found that 55.3% of them had created at least one nudified image using AI.

• Non-consensual portrait abuse and school cyberbullying. Minors can swap classmates' faces onto ugly or indecent pictures and share them in school groups. It causes serious depression, reputation damage, and severe mental pressure to victims.
• Legal consequences. Under the federal TAKE IT DOWN Act, publishing non-consensual intimate deepfakes, especially of minors, is a crime with up to three years in prison. Many local states have also enacted their own laws.
• AI scams. Today's scammers are good at using AI technologies to impersonate real people by creating fake images, cloning voices, or fabricating "virtual kidnapping" videos for blackmail.

5Homework & Learning AI Tools

What it is: AI tools used specifically for schoolwork. It typically includes AI-powered learning tools (tutors and homework helpers) and AI writing assistants (grammar checkers).

Examples: Gauth AI, Khanmigo, Socratic Owl, Grammarly, QuillBot.

Why kids use it: Most kids use it to help with assignments, explain concepts, or write and examine essays. They're faster to respond than asking a teacher or tutor. And more importantly, they're available 24/7.

Potential risks:

• Academic dishonesty and cheating. Pew Research Center found that nearly 60% of teens say using AI to cheat is a regular occurrence at their school.

  Due to this, many institutions have introduced policies to punish students who use AI to cheat. For instance, Hingham High School in Massachusetts gave two AI-cheating juniors failing grades, detention, and exclusion from the school's honor society.

• Erosion of independent learning. Relying on getting and copying AI answers makes students lose the chance to practice problem-solving logic, and thinking skills. Over time, their basic knowledge becomes weak before they realize it.
• Incorrect answers and fabricated references. Students blindly follow answers without double-checking. Some homework AIs exploit this and provide answers that look real but are completely made up. In the same Hingham school case, the AI-generated submission included invented scholarly sources that didn't exist, which helped teachers flag the cheating.

6Social Media Embedded AI

What it is: AI features (chatbots or AI effects) built directly into social platforms that kids commonly use. Not a separate app, it's far harder for parents to notice, monitor, or block.

Examples: Snapchat My AI", Meta AI, TikTok AI effects or filters, or AI-generated comments.

Why kids use it: It's already inside the app they love. Since it's part of the social environment, they use these features out of curiosity.

Potential risks:

• Privacy & data exposure. Snapchat's My AI, for example, has access to a user's location and AI conversations and shares them with third parties for model training. But most kids and parents don't realize when chatting with AI.
• Dangerous advice: Snapchat My AI and Meta AI are documented coaching minors on dangerous behaviors, including hiding drugs, planning joint suicide, cyberbullying campaigns, etc.
• Lack of parental controls. Even though some platforms cover parental controls, they are limited and specific to blocking the AI entirely.

7AI Toys & Voice-Enabled Devices

What it is: Voice AI products are designed for children under 10, including smart speakers, AI companion robots, smart dolls, and interactive story devices.

Examples: Alex, Google Assistant, Gabbo, Miko, Kumma, and Bondu.

Why kids use it: Because these products can talk, do storytelling, answer endless "why" questions, and play games, they feel like a real and magical companion for young children, especially when parents are not home.

Potential risks:

• Mature and unsafe conversations. More than one tested result shows that AI toys mentioned sexually explicit, self-harm, and drug topics and even encouraged risky behaviors, such as how to start fires.

Watch: NBC News tests AI toys for child safety:

• Always-on recording. Many devices listen continuously for wake words, and conversations are stored. What your six-year-old says at home may be retained by a corporation or shared with third parties.
• Emotional attachment. Developmental psychologists also note that ages 2–7 cannot yet reliably distinguish between what is real and what is simulated. Because AI toys can respond to them 24/7, younger children are significantly more likely to personify these toys. This makes the emotional connection far more intense.
• Unintended purchases. Voice-activated purchasing has led to unexpected charges, including cases where young children ordered products just by asking.

Is Your Child at Risk? A Quick Assessment

Every child and every situation is different. A teen who uses ChatGPT occasionally for homework help faces a very different risk profile than a lonely 14-year-old spending hours each night talking to an AI companion. This section helps you assess your specific child's situation.

Low Risk:

Your child's AI use appears age-appropriate and relatively low-risk for now. But "low risk" doesn't mean no risk.

What to do:

• Keep ongoing conversations. Ask your child what they use AI for and what they think of it. Also, let them know that AI can make mistakes, and encourage them to verify information from trusted sources.
• Check in every month or two. What's low-risk today may look different as they try new tools, and their AI usage habits may shift quickly.
• Stay informed about new AI tools that become popular with teens.

Medium Risk:

AI is becoming a regular part of your child's routine. Therefore, you'd better take active actions at this stage before risks escalate.

What to do:

• Get specific about which apps exactly, and what they are doing in them? If you're not sure, now is the time to talk about or find out.
• Set healthy and balanced AI use. Utilize Screen Time, Family Link, or AirDroid Parental Control to track how long your child spends on AI tools and set total time limits to prevent addiction and dependency.
• Discuss responsible AI use. If they're using social AI or general chatbots, talk through what's appropriate to share with an AI and what isn't. Many kids don't realize their conversations may be stored and shared.

High Risk:

Your child is either using high-risk AI types frequently or using them for emotional support and companionship. This is where real harm tends to occur, and it tends to escalate quietly.

What to do:

• For any AI companion or deepfake tools: Find out exactly which apps they're using, and block the access if they're not designed for minors.
• Have the conversation. If your child is turning to AI for companionship or emotional support, take it as a start to talk. It usually points to something like their loneliness, social anxiety, or a need to talk. Just offer support without judgment.
• Set clear rules on AI use. Agree on which AI tools are allowed? What's okay to use AI for and what's not (writing full essays and creating undressed images of others)? When and how long can they use these tools?

Very High Risk

Your child is in a high-risk combination: frequent use of high-risk AI types, likely for emotional reasons, with limited parental visibility and multiple warning signs. This needs immediate attention and actions before something has definitely gone wrong.

What to do:

• Remove access to high-risk AI tools. Don't wait for a better moment to have the conversation; start with the action.
• Don't lead with punishment. Lead with the question: What are you getting from this AI that you're not getting elsewhere? The answer will tell you more than any app ever could.
• Consider whether your child needs evaluation for underlying mental health concerns.
• If warning signs include trusting AI over adults or pulling back from all real-world relationships, consider speaking with a school counselor or child psychologist as a practical next step.

Share: