Parents worldwide are struggling to balance the risks and benefits of AI for their children. While some aim to protect kids from its potential harms, others seek to prepare them for an AI-driven future. Experts warn of growing inequalities and urge open conversations to help children navigate the evolving technology responsibly.
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape everyday life, many parents find themselves caught between two powerful fears: the unknown risks of the technology and the fear of their children falling behind in a fast-evolving world.
“It’s really hard to predict anything over five years,” said Adam Tal, an Israeli marketing executive and father of two young boys. He admits to feeling “very worried” about the future AI is building—especially concerns like deepfakes, misinformation, and threats he says he’s “not trained to detect.”
Psychologists are also weighing in. Mike Brooks, a parenting and tech specialist based in Austin, Texas, believes many parents are avoiding the issue entirely. “They’re already overwhelmed with everyday parenting demands,” Brooks said. “They’re just trying to get their kids out of their rooms and into the real world.”
But avoiding the conversation won’t make AI disappear. Marc Watkins, a professor at the University of Mississippi who studies AI in education, said, “We’ve already gone too far” for most parents to fully shield their children from this technology. Instead, he advocates for open dialogue and awareness. “They’re going to use AI,” he said. “So I want them to know the potential benefits and risks. That does have some pretty big implications.”
Some parents are attempting to meet the challenge head-on. Melissa Franklin, a law student and mother in Kentucky, has taken an active approach. “I don’t understand the technology behind AI,” she admitted, “but I know it’s inevitable. I’d rather give my son a head start than leave him overwhelmed.”
Franklin supervises her 7-year-old son’s AI usage, allowing it only when they’re seeking information that’s not easily available through traditional means. “Children must be encouraged to think for themselves—AI or no AI,” she said.
Concerns are also growing about AI’s effect on learning. A recent study by MIT, widely cited by cautious parents, found that people who didn’t use generative AI had more brain stimulation and memory activity compared to those who did. One father of three said this reinforced his worries: “After that MIT study, I want them to use it only to deepen knowledge, not to shortcut the process.”
Despite this, others argue that the digital gap is already forming along economic lines. A computer engineer with a teenage son pointed out that children often learn tech skills from peers or online—not from parents. “It’s like TikTok—kids aren’t learning it from us,” he said. “It’s usually the other way around.”
He also highlighted a growing concern: inequality. “My son has an advantage because both his parents have PhDs in computer science,” he said. “But that’s 90 percent due to the fact that we’re more affluent than average.”
While Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang describes AI as a great equalizer, experts like Watkins worry it could deepen divides. “It could become a tool used mainly by families who can afford it to push their kids ahead,” he said.
As the AI age advances, parents face a difficult balancing act—protecting their children while preparing them for a world they can no longer ignore.
