As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly part of children’s schoolwork, parents are being urged to teach them how to use AI as a learning aid rather than a shortcut for completing assignments.
Kaspersky said children should be taught to question AI-generated answers, verify important information and avoid sharing personal or school-related data with chatbots and other AI services.
One of the biggest risks is that children may accept AI responses as factual simply because they are presented confidently. AI systems can generate incorrect information, invent sources, or produce explanations that sound convincing but are wrong errors commonly known as AI “hallucinations.”
Parents can help children develop better habits by encouraging them to use AI to explain difficult concepts, suggest ideas or review their own work instead of generating complete assignments. For example, a student could ask an AI assistant to explain a maths method and then solve the problem independently, or use it to identify weaknesses in an essay they have already written.
Kaspersky also recommends teaching children to ask five basic questions when assessing AI-generated information: Who is the source? Does the answer actually address the task? Can I explain it in my own words? Where else can I verify it? And should I ask an adult?
The company advises children to cross-check important information with textbooks, class notes, teachers or trusted educational sources.
Privacy is another concern. Children should not enter sensitive information such as their full name, address, phone number, passwords, identity documents or financial details into AI services. They should also avoid uploading other people’s photographs, messages or documents without permission.
“AI can be a valuable learning tool when children use it to explore a topic, test their understanding or improve a draft of an essay, rather than simply replace their own work. The key skill is learning not to accept every answer at face value. An AI-generated response may sound confident and well-structured while still containing invented information, false references or incorrect reasoning. Parents can help by encouraging children to check important information against textbooks and trusted sources, explain the answer in their own words, and ask for help whenever something seems unclear.
These habits will help children benefit from AI while developing the critical thinking skills they need throughout their school career,” said Andrey Sidenko, Cyber Literacy Projects Lead at Kaspersky.
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