Minimum Ages: Which AI Tools Kids Are Actually Allowed to Use

Transcript

Most of the big chatbots say you have to be 13 to use them. At least one says 18.

That 13 isn't somebody's call about when kids are ready for AI. It mostly comes from a US privacy law called COPPA. Under COPPA, a company needs a parent's permission before it collects data from a child under 13. A minimum of 13 is the simplest way for a company to stay clear of that.

For our course, we read the terms for four of the biggest chatbots, and they don't agree. Two said 13, with a parent's okay until 18. One said 18, full stop. And one had a way in for kids under 13, through a family account a parent manages.

So don't ask the chatbot what the rule is. It isn't a reliable source about itself. Look in the terms. The age rule is usually the clearest sentence on the page. And if a school set up the account, ask whoever did, because different rules may apply.

It's one sentence, and it's worth finding before a kid signs up.