Google has announced plans to make its AI chatbot Gemini accessible to children under the age of 13, according to a New York Times report.
Kids would be able to access Gemini AI apps on Android devices, managed through Family Link, its parental control service. Access to Gemini can be enabled by the children themselves, so long as their devices are managed under Family Link. The platform allows parents to monitor their children’s screen time, set app limits, and block access to certain types of content. However, parents also have the option to disable Gemini access altogether.
“They will get an additional notification when the young person accesses Gemini for the first time,” Google spokesperson Karl Ryan said.
READ: Google’s AI chatbot Gemini faces accuracy concerns (December 20, 2024)
This has come shortly after President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at integrating AI education into American classrooms. According to the White House, the order is designed to “promote AI literacy and proficiency of K-12 students.”
Nevertheless, Google’s decision has caused much concern. The company has, in its email to parents, stated, “Gemini can make mistakes,” and children “may encounter content you don’t want them to see.” Google has also said it wouldn’t use data from children to train its AI models, however there still remain troubling questions about the appropriateness of exposing young children to generative AI.
Previously, the AI platform Character.ai, which attracted a young audience, had to roll out stricter controls after lawsuits alleged the bots had served inappropriate content and blurred the lines between fiction and reality. Some users even believed they were communicating with real people.
The New York Times noted that chatbot makers are racing to capture younger users as their audience. However, this has come with a number of concerns. Last year, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization pushed for governments to regulate the use of generative AI in education, including implementing age limits for users and guardrails on data protection and user privacy.