Is ChatGPT your child’s new best friend? Why early AI exposure might do more harm than good

Oh, he’s just talking to Chat GPT.

Dubai-based Radha Nair (name changed on request) recalls sitting in a living room, and  watching a six-year-old giggle when chatting to ChatGPT, while his younger sister was annoyed as he refused to play with her. Nair was rather intrigued and asked the boy, what exactly was he talking about so intently to Chat GPT?

“Fighting. It's fun..." and he proceeded to show her how he was 'provoking' ChatGPT.

Nair gracefully exited the conversation, not quite sure about what to do when a child insists on sparring with AI. A former teacher and tutor, she had already dealt with four other children that week, insisting on using AI for their holiday homework. “I will be honest; I was just tired of the words ChatGPT that day,” she says.

But, what do you do, when a child is immersed in the world of AI?

They watch their parents talk to Alexa.

They see the ‘magic’ of Siri. And as children, they have multiple reasons for resorting to AI: It can finish their homework quickly. It’s like an online chatting stream too. They want to have conversations with Chat GPT, and push boundaries, to see what exactly the AI can, or can’t say. And, by doing so, they could be risking their own safety.

Is there a right age for children to engage with AI, at all? And how do parents ensure this exposure? Experts from cognitive science, psychology, and behavioural strategy share insights on navigating AI’s impact on children.

Louis Fourie, a clinical psychologist at the German Neuroscience Centre, advises caution with early, unsupervised AI use. “Current research suggests that unsupervised or independent exposure to AI should be delayed until at least age 7,” he says, explaining that younger children are still developing crucial cognitive skills like source monitoring and abstract reasoning. This early period requires nurturing those abilities without replacing effortful learning with easy answers.

On the other hand, some like Carolyn Yaffe, a cognitive behavioural therapist, highlights a developmental approach, rather than a fixed age. “The process of introducing children to AI involves adapting discussions and activities to their developmental stages rather than determining an ideal age for introduction.” She notes that children often engage with AI daily, sometimes without realising it — through smartphones, games, or streaming services — but that education should move them from passive consumption to active understanding.

Yaffe outlines how AI concepts can be introduced progressively:

Early elementary (Ages 5-7): Focus on basic understanding. Explain AI as an ‘intelligent assistant for computers,’ not a thinking being. Use familiar examples like Siri or Alexa and interactive games to demonstrate AI’s role.

Late elementary (Ages 8-10): Build on this foundation by explaining how AI learns through patterns, much like humans do. Hands-on activities, like training AI models on platforms such as Google’s Teachable Machine, help children grasp these concepts. Early ethical issues, such as AI’s imperfections and responsible use, are introduced.

Middle school (Ages 11-13): Children’s growing abstract reasoning skills allow for exploring AI’s broader societal implications, privacy, bias, and ethical concerns. They can critically evaluate AI responses and understand its influence on society.

Across all ages, Dr Yaffe stresses that it’s important to keep AI as a helper, not a replacement — using open conversations and curiosity-driven learning to spark creativity and build critical thinking skills.

A parent who doesn’t wish to be named, says that she discovered that her child was secretly using AI for his homework after he tried to write an essay on The Count of Monte Christo, but instead Chat GPT confused the film’s ending with the actual conclusion of the book. For the unversed, let’s just say that the film completely rewrote the ending of the book. “And, his teacher was furious, obviously. So after that I’ve been keeping a close eye on him and his internet usage, and don’t allow him anywhere near the internet when he is studying,” she says.

There are several repercussions from AI dependence, as Fourie says. The overfamiliarity and early reliance, reduces cognitive effort and actual engagement. “Specifically, lower memory retention, reduced creative thinking, and weakened problem-solving abilities,” he explains.

Dr Fourie elaborates that early childhood is a sensitive window for developing executive functioning and metacognition. “The overuse of AI at this stage may limit the brain’s natural developmental processes by replacing effortful learning with immediate answers. Children are a neurologically vulnerable group, careful boundaries and guided use are essential to support healthy cognitive and emotional growth.”

Moreover, Dr Yaffe adds that misconceptions can arise when younger children attribute human qualities like emotions or thoughts to AI, which can distort their understanding of social interactions and cause misplaced trust in AI over real people.

Behaviour strategist Vishakha Abbi at Mind Path UAE, concurs, emphasising digital literacy and parental involvement as essential to safe AI use: “As it's such a new phenomenon, there aren't too many studies. But, from an educational perspective, children accessing computers need to be age-appropriate and in line with guidelines. In terms of using ChatGPT, I think they're better introduced when the child is just about to go into secondary school, around the ages of ten, depending on their maturity, and digital literacy, whether they can be safe online."

As she says, talking to AI, is like talking to human beings. "When children are in early adolescence, they develop abstract reasoning, so they have better grasp for cause and effect, critical thinking. And this is important for AI, because we know AI could create hallucinations, and regurgitate the wrong information." Moreover, with younger children, they might find it difficult to distinguish between the real and fabricated information, too.

What's important is not so much the age, but children having training in digital literacy, which includes classes at school or with parents, how to remain safe online. Moreover, she advises parents to supervise early AI interactions closely, especially in the beginning stages. “Just because ChatGPT said so, doesn’t mean it’s true."

Parents need to reinforce that learning and that AI can make mistakes, should be an ongoing conversation.” She also stresses educating children about digital safety, such as not sharing personal information about their location, whereabouts or personal feelings with AI systems. "Look for what's age-appropriate and let them stick to an educational format, in the early days. There are AI tools specific for children, and strictly for educational uses."

The consensus among experts is clear: There is no one-size-fits-all age to introduce AI, but rather a need for thoughtful, developmentally appropriate education and parental guidance.

Moreover, AI is not just ChatGPT, it’s Alexa, and other systems that parents need to use those responsibly in front of children adds Abbi, underscoring the importance of modelling safe and critical use of AI technologies. As AI continues to weave deeper into daily life, empowering children to understand, question, and safely interact with these tools is crucial to nurturing not only their technological literacy but also their cognitive and emotional growth.