Google launches Gemini for children under 13. Is it a good idea?

Google is rolling out its Gemini AI chatbot to children under the age of 13, starting in the United States and Canada, and later in Australia. While available only through Family Link accounts, this move raises major concerns about privacy, misinformation and child safety. With AI becoming more integrated into everyday life, this development highlights the growing need for digital responsibility.

Gemini will be on by default, but parents can turn it off

The chatbot will be enabled automatically for children’s accounts, meaning parents must manually deactivate it if they don’t want their kids to use it. Children will be able to ask for text or image-based content, generated by the AI without human supervision. While Google claims data won’t be used to train the model, privacy and accuracy concerns remain high.

Generative AI isn’t the same as search engines

Unlike search engines, which show original materials, AI tools like Gemini generate new content based on patterns. This can confuse children, who might believe the results are accurate or even think they are interacting with a real person. Even adults and professionals have been misled by chatbots, so the risk for children is significantly higher.

Safeguards may backfire and parental guidance is essential

Google promises built-in safeguards to block unsafe content, but these filters can also accidentally restrict educational material. For example, blocking words related to puberty might prevent children from accessing helpful health information. Parents must stay involved, review content and guide children in using these tools responsibly.

New tech, same risks: regulation is still lacking

Despite a coming ban on social media for children under 16 in Australia, AI chatbots like Gemini will remain accessible, creating new loopholes. This rollout reveals the urgent need for stronger digital duty of care laws to hold tech giants accountable.