Digital Childhood Script Series
"I'm just using ChatGPT for help."
What to say
Younger kids
"AI is a tool, not a brain. It can help you think, but it shouldn't replace your thinking."
Middle kids
"AI doesn't actually know things. It predicts the most likely words based on patterns in data. It can sound completely certain and be completely wrong. That's why we check it, especially for school."
Older kids · Quick version
"Here's a simple test: if you can still explain the answer without the AI, you used it the right way. If the AI did the thinking and you just copied it, you skipped the learning."
Why can't I use ChatGPT?
It sounds human. But it isn't. It doesn't think or feel the way we do. It predicts what words should come next, which means it can sound right and be completely wrong. If I don't explain it, you'll fill in the blanks yourself. And the blanks matter.
The data worth knowing
"1 in 10 teenagers now do most of their schoolwork with AI. 6 in 10 say it's used to cheat. I'm not assuming that's you. I just want you to understand what it does, so you can make a real choice."
What not to say
"You're cheating." or "AI is bad." Both shut the conversation down, and the goal is understanding, not fear.
Why this matters
We may have been behind when it came to social media, and this is how we stay ahead with AI, because it gives your child a practical test to use themselves rather than a rule handed down from you.
Follow-up questions
- "Can you explain what the AI told you, in your own words?"
- "What would you have written before you used it?"
- "Did the AI get anything wrong?"