Age Considerations for AI Chatbot Interaction

[Dr. Naomi Baron]: When should kids start interacting with AI chat bots like Chat GPT? How would you – how would you advise parents and educators to go forward here?

[Dr. Ying Xu]: We could approach it from two perspectives, which are the developmental stages of the child and also the capability of the chatbot. So children are kind of naturally curious and they often always ask “why” questions, but their ability to ask “good” questions – which are questions that have meaningful answers – develops over time. So you could imagine the better a child can formulate a question, the more effective a chatbot carries it out. So now from the chatbot’s perspective, it is worth noting that ChatGPT in particular requires the user, at least as of now, to be at least 13 years old, with parental consent needed for those between 13 to 18. So ChatGPT might not be something that is designed for very young kids. But there are other chatbots like Amazon Echo Dot Kids version that are designed specifically for young children. Since smart speakers and other AI tools are already available and present in children’s homes, it could be quite difficult to strictly limit children’s access. So I believe that with the guidance and support from parents and other caring adults, it can be fine for even very young children to engage in asking questions through chatbots. However, it is very important for parents to be aware of the information provided by the chatbot and if necessary, rephrase or supplement it based on the child’s needs.