{"id":668569,"date":"2025-05-12T02:10:20","date_gmt":"2025-05-11T23:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/google-is-rolling-out-its-gemini-ai-chatbot-to-kids-under-13-its-a-risky-move\/"},"modified":"2025-05-12T02:10:20","modified_gmt":"2025-05-11T23:10:20","slug":"google-is-rolling-out-its-gemini-ai-chatbot-to-kids-under-13-its-a-risky-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/google-is-rolling-out-its-gemini-ai-chatbot-to-kids-under-13-its-a-risky-move\/","title":{"rendered":"Google is rolling out its Gemini AI chatbot to kids under 13. It&#8217;s a risky move"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3d50975ce27\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3d50975ce27\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/google-is-rolling-out-its-gemini-ai-chatbot-to-kids-under-13-its-a-risky-move\/#How_will_the_Gemini_AI_chatbot_work\" >How will the Gemini AI chatbot work?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/google-is-rolling-out-its-gemini-ai-chatbot-to-kids-under-13-its-a-risky-move\/#What_kinds_of_information_will_the_system_provide\" >What kinds of information will the system provide?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/google-is-rolling-out-its-gemini-ai-chatbot-to-kids-under-13-its-a-risky-move\/#Will_the_content_generated_be_age-appropriate\" >Will the content generated be age-appropriate?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/google-is-rolling-out-its-gemini-ai-chatbot-to-kids-under-13-its-a-risky-move\/#What_risks_do_AI_chatbots_pose_to_children\" >What risks do AI chatbots pose to children?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/google-is-rolling-out-its-gemini-ai-chatbot-to-kids-under-13-its-a-risky-move\/#How_can_we_protect_kids_from_harm_when_using_AI_chatbots\" >How can we protect kids from harm when using AI chatbots?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/gemini.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/gemini.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Credit: Markus Winkler from Pexels\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/gemini.jpg\" alt=\"Gemini\" title=\"Credit: Markus Winkler from Pexels\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Credit: Markus Winkler from Pexels<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Google has announced it will roll out its <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/05\/02\/technology\/google-gemini-ai-chatbot-kids.html\" target=\"_blank\">Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot<\/a> to children under the age of 13.<\/p>\n<p>While the launch starts within the next week in the United States and Canada, it will <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2025-05-09\/google-gemini-ai-launch-australian-kids\/105267302?utm_source=abc_news_app&amp;utm_medium=content_shared&amp;utm_campaign=abc_news_app&amp;utm_content=messages\" target=\"_blank\">launch in Australia<\/a> later this year. The chatbot will only be available to people via Google&#8217;s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/families.google\/familylink\/\" target=\"_blank\">Family Link accounts<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But this development comes with major risks. It also highlights how, even if children are banned from <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social media<\/a>, parents will still have to play a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> of whack-a-mole with new technologies as they try to keep their children safe.<\/p>\n<p>A good way to address this would be to urgently implement a digital duty of care for big tech companies such as Google.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_will_the_Gemini_AI_chatbot_work\"><\/span>How will the Gemini AI chatbot work?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Google&#8217;s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/families.google\/familylink\/\" target=\"_blank\">Family Link accounts<\/a> allow parents to control access to content and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>s, such as YouTube.<\/p>\n<p>To create a child&#8217;s account, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.techbusinessnews.com.au\/news\/google-rolls-out-gemini-ai-chatbot-for-kids-under-13-with-parental-controls\/\" target=\"_blank\">parents provide personal details<\/a>, including the child&#8217;s name and date of birth. This may raise privacy concerns for parents concerned about data breaches, but Google says children&#8217;s data when using the system <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/news\/660678\/google-gemini-ai-children-under-13-family-link-chatbot-access\" target=\"_blank\">will not be used to train the AI system<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Chatbot access will be &#8220;on&#8221; by default, so parents need to actively turn the feature off to restrict access. Young children will be able to prompt the chatbot for text responses, or to create images, which are generated by the system.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/families\/answer\/16109150?hl=en&amp;ref_topic=7336641\" target=\"_blank\">Google acknowledges<\/a> the system may &#8220;make mistakes.&#8221; So assessment of the quality and trustworthiness of content is needed. Chatbots can make up information (known as &#8220;hallucinating&#8221;), so if children use the chatbot for homework help, they need to check facts with reliable sources.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                        <!-- TechX - News - In-article --><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_kinds_of_information_will_the_system_provide\"><\/span>What kinds of information will the system provide?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Google and other search engines retrieve original materials for people to review. A student can read <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> articles, magazines and other sources when writing up an assignment.<\/p>\n<p>Generative AI tools are not the same as search engines. AI tools look for patterns in source material and create new text responses (or images) based on the query\u2014or &#8220;prompt&#8221;\u2014a person provides. A child could ask the system to &#8220;draw a cat&#8221; and the system will scan for patterns in the data of what a cat looks like (such as whiskers, pointy ears, and a long tail) and generate an image that includes those cat-like details.<\/p>\n<p>Understanding the differences between materials retrieved in a Google search and content generated by an AI tool will be challenging for young children. Studies show even adults can be <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S266638992400103X\" target=\"_blank\">deceived by AI tools<\/a>. And even highly skilled professionals\u2014<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2023-06-24\/us-lawyer-uses-chatgpt-to-research-case-with-embarrassing-result\/102490068\" target=\"_blank\">such as lawyers<\/a>\u2014have reportedly been fooled into using fake content generated by ChatGPT and other chatbots.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Will_the_content_generated_be_age-appropriate\"><\/span>Will the content generated be age-appropriate?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Google says the system will include &#8220;<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.techbusinessnews.com.au\/news\/google-rolls-out-gemini-ai-chatbot-for-kids-under-13-with-parental-controls\/\" target=\"_blank\">built-in safeguards designed to prevent the generation of inappropriate or unsafe content<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>However, these safeguards could create new problems. For example, if particular words (such as &#8220;breasts&#8221;) are restricted to protect children from accessing inappropriate sexual content, this could mistakenly also exclude children from accessing age-appropriate content about bodily changes during puberty.<\/p>\n<p>Many children are also very <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/lifeandstyle\/2025\/mar\/16\/how-tech-experts-keep-their-children-safe-online\" target=\"_blank\">tech-savvy<\/a>, often with well-developed skills for navigating apps and getting around system controls. Parents cannot rely exclusively on inbuilt safeguards. They need to review generated content and help their children understand how the system works, and assess whether content is accurate.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_risks_do_AI_chatbots_pose_to_children\"><\/span>What risks do AI chatbots pose to children?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esafety.gov.au\/newsroom\/blogs\/ai-chatbots-and-companions-risks-to-children-and-young-people\" target=\"_blank\">eSafety Commission<\/a> has issued an online safety advisory on the potential risk of AI chatbots, including those designed to simulate personal relationships, particularly for young children.<\/p>\n<p>The eSafety advisory explains AI companions can &#8220;share harmful content, distort reality and give advice that is dangerous.&#8221; The advisory highlights the risks for young children, in particular, who &#8220;are still developing the critical thinking and life skills needed to understand how they can be misguided or manipulated by computer programs, and what to do about it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>My research team has recently examined a range of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/osf.io\/preprints\/socarxiv\/tvjfb_v1\" target=\"_blank\">AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT, Replika, and Tessa<\/a>. We found these systems mirror people&#8217;s interactions based on the many unwritten rules that govern social behavior\u2014or, what are known as &#8220;feeling rules.&#8221; These rules are what lead us to say &#8220;thank you&#8221; when someone holds the door open for us, or &#8220;I&#8217;m sorry!&#8221; when you bump into someone on the street.<\/p>\n<p>By mimicking these and other social niceties, these systems are designed to gain our trust.<\/p>\n<p>These human-like interactions will be confusing, and potentially risky, for young children. They may believe content can be trusted, even when the chatbot is responding with fake information. And, they may believe they are engaging with a real person, rather than a machine.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                        <!-- TechX - News - In-article --><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_can_we_protect_kids_from_harm_when_using_AI_chatbots\"><\/span>How can we protect kids from harm when using AI chatbots?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This rollout is happening at a crucial time in Australia, as children under 16 will be banned from holding social media accounts in December this year.<\/p>\n<p>While some parents may believe this will keep their children safe from harm, generative AI chatbots show the risks of online engagement extend far beyond social media. Children\u2014and parents\u2014must be educated in how all types of digital tools can be used appropriately and safely.<\/p>\n<p>As Gemini&#8217;s AI chatbot is not a social media tool, it will fall outside Australia&#8217;s ban.<\/p>\n<p>This leaves Australian parents playing a game of whack-a-mole with new technologies as they try to keep their children safe. Parents must keep up with new tool developments and understand the potential risks their children face. They must also understand the limitations of the social media ban in protecting children from harm.<\/p>\n<p>This highlights the urgent need to revisit Australia&#8217;s proposed digital duty of care legislation. While the European Union and United Kingdom launched digital duty of care legislation in 2023, Australia&#8217;s has been on hold since November 2024. This legislation would hold <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> companies to account by legislating that they deal with harmful content, at source, to protect everyone.<\/p>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium my-4\">\n                                                Provided by<br \/>\n                                                                                                    The Conversation<br \/>\n                                                    \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<use href=\"https:\/\/techx.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v2\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n                                                This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" target=\"_blank\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/google-is-rolling-out-its-gemini-ai-chatbot-to-kids-under-13-its-a-risky-move-256204\" target=\"_blank\">original article<\/a>.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/256204\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\"\/>\n                                            <\/p>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n                                                <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                Google is rolling out its Gemini AI chatbot to kids under 13. It&#8217;s a risky move (2025, May 11)<br \/>\n                                                retrieved 11 May 2025<br \/>\n                                                from https:\/\/techxplore.com\/news\/2025-05-google-gemini-ai-chatbot-kids.html\n                                            <\/p>\n<p>\n                                            This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n                                            part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n                                            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/techxplore.com\/news\/2025-05-google-gemini-ai-chatbot-kids.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Credit: Markus Winkler from Pexels Google has announced it will roll out its Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot to children under the age of 13. While the launch starts within the next week in the United States and Canada, it will launch in Australia later this year. The chatbot will only be available to people&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":668570,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/gemini.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-668569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=668569"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668569\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/668570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=668569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=668569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=668569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}