Are you afraid of starting or taking action?

I've mentioned the need to introduce AI to our children with urgency to many parents and if I had a pound for the look of trepidation that washes over every parent's face, I'd have enough to pay schools fees for a year, including the VAT hike.

Especially as most parents are millennials and have little to no AI literacy, the idea of exposing our children to something so powerful and transformative can seem daunting and truly scary. Let's explore these fears and find strategies to empower our children for the future they will inevitably face.

Fear: Over-Reliance and Loss of Critical Thinking

If my child uses AI too much, won’t they stop thinking for themselves?” Reassurance & Strategy:
AI doesn’t have to replace thinking — it can strengthen it. We can guide our children to use AI as a brainstorming partner or tutor, not a shortcut.

Encourage them to:

• Compare AI answers with their own reasoning.

• Ask AI to “explain step by step, rather than just give final solutions. For example, my son wanted to gain the next belt in Judo, he used ChatGPT to create a workout plan. He won gold at the next Judo competition. He's still working with ChatGPT and his coach to gain the next belt.

• Treat AI as a tool for exploration, not execution.

AI can provide frameworks and roadmaps to improve homework assignments, rather than enable cheating. If we see AI as a way to become a better thinker, our children can actually build deeper problem-solving habits.

Fear: Exposure to Harmful or Biased Content

What if my child sees something inappropriate or misleading?

Reassurance & Strategy:
Most reputable AI platforms are building strong safety filters. Still, parental guidance matters.

• Start with child-friendly AI apps or set up supervised accounts.

• Teach “AI literacy”: explain that AI can make mistakes or show bias.

• Create a simple family rule: “If you see something odd, ask me about it.

Similar to social media and the internet at large, we have to manage the risks of misinformation and teach our children how to thoughtfully address different points of few. This only comes with practice and by that I mean managed exposure to AI

This approach turns AI from a danger zone into a chance for kids to build critical media skills.

Fear: Privacy and Data Safety

“Is my child’s personal data being tracked or misused?”

Reassurance & Strategy:


You can protect your child’s privacy with a few proactive steps:

• Avoid entering personal details (full names, addresses, school info) into AI chats.

• Use AI tools with clear privacy policies (many now offer education-focused, secure versions).

• Teach kids to treat AI chats like a public forum: “If you wouldn’t share it on a noticeboard, don’t type it in.”

This builds healthy digital habits that will serve them beyond AI.

Fear: Ethical Boundaries and Cheating

“Won’t my child just use AI to cheat on homework?”

Reassurance & Strategy:


AI can actually raise standards if used correctly. Parents and teachers can frame it as a tool for understanding rather than outsourcing. For example:

• Use AI to generate practice questions, then solve them without AI. My son did this all the time in preparation for 11+. AI can consume test papers and suggest more similar questions on the topic. This was invaluable when we need to prioritise mastery over the number of test papers.

• Ask children to improve or fact-check AI’s first draft instead of submitting it. AI still struggles with creative writing and replicating the human touch. Here's where our children can actively see the gaps with AI and produce greater quality assignments.

• Encourage AI for idea generation, but make sure final work is in the child’s voice. I see AI use as a foundational step in creating great work, similar to using Google search, it's an educational aid that should draw more out of our children rather than quench their creativity.

This builds honesty and integrity while still leveraging the tool.

Fear: Future Job Security and Inequality

“Will my child fall behind in a world where AI takes jobs?”

Reassurance & Strategy:


The best way to secure their future is early exposure. Children who understand AI won’t just compete with it — they’ll learn to use it to create value.

• Teach them skills that AI enhances: creativity, entrepreneurship, problem-solving.

• Involve them in fun AI projects (story-writing, coding, art).

Focus on what AI can’t replace: leadership, empathy, imagination, human connection. By pairing AI literacy with human strengths, children can thrive in the job market of we are already facing. 


AI is here to stay but with the right approach, it doesn’t have to be a threat. With guidance, boundaries, and curiosity, children can turn AI into a powerful aid for learning, creativity, and future success.

Thanks for Reading

Have questions or suggestions to improve our newsletter? Got a story to share? Email us at [email protected]

Interested in advertising with us? Drop us a line at the same email address.

If someone forwarded this email to you, be sure to thank them—and don’t miss out next time! Subscribe here.