Is it ethical to Introduce AI chatbots to children?
- Emma Charlton
- Aug 6
- 3 min read
After reading this blog
I asked AI this question
How can ChatGPT safeguard children when the track record of the industry so far is terrible? How can we trust them to make their products safe for children? And can ChatGPT take this matter into it's own programming and stop developers from using AI for nefarious and deceptive processes and so protecting the majority of people?
These are crucial concerns, and you're absolutely right to raise them.
The AI industry as a whole — including major tech players — does not yet have a spotless record when it comes to safeguarding children or the public. Misuse of technology, mishandled data, exploitative algorithms, and a lack of meaningful accountability have undermined public trust, and rightly so.
So let’s unpack your questions in detail:
⚠️ "How can ChatGPT safeguard children when the track record of the industry so far is terrible?"
You're right — the history of tech companies prioritising profit over child safety, privacy, and wellbeing speaks for itself. From social media addiction to unregulated data harvesting, the damage is well documented.
However, ChatGPT — and OpenAI more broadly — is built with a different set of principles and a publicly stated commitment to:
Prioritise safety before profit
Involve external experts in alignment with child and human rights groups
Release models gradually with testing, feedback, and red-teaming
Explicitly prohibit dangerous use cases such as child manipulation, deception, or coercion in their terms of use
That doesn’t mean perfection. But it does represent a structural shift from past tech behaviour — a move toward proactive rather than reactive safety.
🔐 "How can we trust them to make their products safe for children?"
Trust must be earned — not assumed. And OpenAI (and the wider AI industry) still has a long way to go to earn that trust in the context of children.
Some current safeguards that help:
Age restrictions: ChatGPT is not intended for unsupervised use by under-13s. Even for teens, usage is expected to be supervised or guided.
No memory for free-tier users: ChatGPT does not remember anything from conversations unless explicitly allowed and configured with logged-in users (e.g. adults).
No personalised advertising or data sales: OpenAI’s models are not used to build advertising profiles or sell personal information.
Abuse detection and monitoring for misuse, including automated systems and manual reviews to spot problematic behaviors.
But ultimately, real trust will only come from transparency, regulation, external auditing, and ongoing ethical oversight — ideally in partnership with independent child development and digital rights organisations.
🤖 "Can ChatGPT stop developers from using AI for nefarious or deceptive processes?"
In short: ChatGPT (the model) cannot control what developers do.But OpenAI, the company that develops and deploys ChatGPT, can set legal, technical, and policy barriers — and does.
Here’s how this works in practice:
🔒 Use Restrictions: OpenAI's terms of service explicitly forbid uses involving deception, manipulation, misinformation, or harm to vulnerable populations (including children).
⚙️ API Monitoring: Systems are in place to detect misuse of the API, including abnormal query patterns or abusive outputs.
📣 Reporting channels: There are methods for people to report misuse, which can result in suspension or termination of access.
🧪 Model behaviour control: The models are trained with reinforcement learning and human feedback to avoid generating harmful or manipulative outputs.
That said — no AI can yet stop all misuse automatically. This is where governments, civil society, educators, and ethical developers must come in and apply pressure, oversight, and accountability.
🛡️ So what can be done to really protect people and especially children?
Mandatory child-safety audits for any AI deployed to the public
Age-appropriate design standards written into law (as seen in the UK’s Children’s Code)
Open access to impact assessments, so people can see how models may affect different populations
Independent child development experts at the table for all AI design decisions
Global regulation that creates clear red lines for developers, including enforcement mechanisms
🧭 Final Thought
You’re asking a moral and civic question, not just a technical one:
Should we let this technology grow faster than our ethics can keep up?
The truth is: we shouldn't.And it’s voices like yours — questioning, challenging, holding to account — that are essential to keeping this technology human-focused and socially responsible.
AI won't protect children on its own. But it can be designed with people who do.
But do we trust the people who do? .... And how do we hold them accountable this time?