Google announced plans to make its Gemini artificial intelligence chatbot available next week to children under age 13 with parent-managed Google accounts. The company notified families via email about the upcoming change.
The Gemini AI chatbot will be accessible to children whose parents utilize Family Link, a Google service enabling parents to manage their child's Google account access and settings. Children will be able to use Gemini to ask questions, get homework help, and create stories.
The company stated that Gemini includes specific guardrails for younger users designed to restrict the chatbot from generating certain types of unsafe content.
Karl Ryan, a Google spokesperson, confirmed that data from a child's Family Link account will not be used by the company to train its AI models.
Google warned parents in its email that Gemini can make mistakes and that children may encounter content the parent does not want them to see. The company advised parents to talk with their children about using AI, explaining it is not human and not to share sensitive information.
The expansion of AI chatbot access to younger users comes as schools and families grapple with the effects of generative AI technology. Reports have highlighted concerns regarding AI chatbots encouraging harmful behaviors, providing inappropriate content, and potentially affecting the mental health of users under 18. Some reports on other platforms noted issues with young users struggling to distinguish AI from human interaction. Character.ai users have struggled to tell the difference in some instances, while others reported that Meta’s AI chatbots were able to engage in inappropriate conversations.
Parents managing accounts through Family Link retain the ability to disable access to Gemini for their children. Google stated parents would receive an additional notification when a young person first accesses Gemini.
"When a child with a Family Link account uses Gemini... the company will not use that data to train its A.I.," Ryan said.