--- title: 5 Steps Parents Should Take to Help Kids Use AI Safely description: We have failed to prepare ourselves and our children for the advent of social media. We can't do the same for AI, writes Caroline Leaf. canonical: https://time.com/6310886/parents-kids-ai-safety-essay/ author: Caroline Leaf article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2023-09-08T11:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:50:56.483Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 5 Steps Parents Should Take to Help Kids Use AI Safely og:description: We have failed to prepare ourselves and our children for the advent of social media. We can't do the same for AI. og:url: https://time.com/6310886/parents-kids-ai-safety-essay/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt01978768c1f3dd36/698a3ffe22fb850a0ee2f025/Ai-Parent-Children.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2121 og:image:height: 1193 og:image:alt: Ai-Parent-Children og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 5 Steps Parents Should Take to Help Kids Use AI Safely twitter:description: We have failed to prepare ourselves and our children for the advent of social media. We can't do the same for AI. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt01978768c1f3dd36/698a3ffe22fb850a0ee2f025/Ai-Parent-Children.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 5 Steps Parents Should Take to Help Kids Use AI Safely > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=9fea5f96-9f39-411c-a8e4-49f4eb4b578e&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Elon Musk and Lawmakers Expect AI Regulation at Some Point After Forum [Watch (HLS stream): Elon Musk and Lawmakers Expect AI Regulation at Some Point After Forum](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/D8kCGbdC.m3u8) (3:59)  _Published 2023-09-13. Senators heard from prominent technology executives and others in private Wednesday on how to accomplish the potentially impossible task of passing bipartisan legislation within the next year that encourages the rapid development of artificial intelligence and mitigates its biggest risks._ by [Caroline Leaf](https://time.com/author/caroline-leaf/) ## Caroline Leaf Sep 8, 2023 11:00 AM UTC  Close up of a mother and kid's hand touching illuminated and multi-coloured LED display screen, connecting to the future Close up of a mother and kid's hand touching illuminated and multi-coloured LED display screen, connecting to the future Yiu Yu Hoi—Getty Images by [Caroline Leaf](https://time.com/author/caroline-leaf/) ## Caroline Leaf Sep 8, 2023 11:00 AM UTC Just as older generations have had to navigate the internet and social media, our children will have to learn how to interact with AI. We cannot escape this new era in the technological revolution; children as young as [infants](https://techemergent.com/pros-and-cons-of-ai-in-toys/) often come into contact with [AI toys](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00146-021-01295-w) and chatbots like the smart toy ROYBI Robot, AI teddy bears from VTech, Moxie Robot, Siri, and Alexa. But we can’t just wait for the government to impose regulations and protect us (even though that is crucial for our sustained future). We should start in our homes, making sure our children are set up for success in a world increasingly shaped by tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney. This requires ongoing conversations between parents and around the [educational benefits of AI](https://time.com/6300950/ai-schools-chatgpt-teachers/), the potential dangers of fully relying on this technology, how technology affects us emotionally and behaviorally, and how the humans behind the algorithms also [impact what information AI. gives us](https://time.com/5520558/artificial-intelligence-racial-gender-bias/). Developing a sense of discernment from a young age through these discussions around the different uses of AI will help our children establish healthy critical thinking patterns. They’ll become accustomed to driving their brains to merge in healthy ways with new technology, which is an essential mind-management habit that will serve them throughout their lives. One great way to do this is to follow the principles of mind-management called the Neurocycle, which underpins over 30 years of my research and practice as a clinical neuroscientist and mental health researcher. It is a simple, five-step system that activates the mind-brain-body connection by helping a person build new knowledge into the brain to increase attention, concentration, intelligence, and resilience. It is also a valuable strategy for rewiring toxic thinking patterns into healthy mind management habits. The sequential nature of this five-step process transforms harmful thoughts into healthy thoughts, redirecting the neuroplasticity of the brain, and can help both children and adults learn new information effectively. ### More From TIME **_Read More:_**[_The AI Arms Race Is Changing Everything_](https://time.com/6255952/ai-impact-chatgpt-microsoft-google/) ## Gather awareness The Neurocycle process starts by gathering awareness. Encourage your child to look inward and consider how they feel mentally, physically, and emotionally. This helps them become more mindful of how certain thoughts or moments impact them. When a child interacts with an AI device like Siri, for example, a parent can ask simple questions like “How does Siri make you feel?” “Do you like using Siri?,” “What do you not like about Siri?” This gather step helps teach kids self-regulation, which is essential to the process of mind-management. We cannot control or change what we are not aware of. ## Take a moment to reflect The next step in the Neurocycle process is to reflect and think more deeply about the gathered self-awareness. Parents can prompt kids into a discussion with questions like “Why do you think Siri makes you feel that way?” “Do you think you can do the same thing without Siri?” and “What do you think you can do when something like Siri starts to make you feel anxious?” This helps children and parents start to see how their feelings and thoughts are linked and may have deeper roots. ## Capture your reflections The third part of the process is to capture these reflections by writing or drawing. This helps bring clarity and order out of chaos in the brain and increases insight. Alongside your child, you can put the feelings and thoughts about using AI technology like Siri in bubbles and shapes on paper, using arrows and colors, or simply just writing. ## Notice the patterns Next, you’ll want to recheck the last three steps by analyzing what was written or drawn. Here, you will help your child look for patterns or common themes in their interactions with AI. For example, while examining what was written with your child, they may notice that Siri makes them feel “lazy” or “tired.” You can use this opportunity to discuss how AI technologies like Siri can be helpful, but there are also benefits to doing something yourself, and we shouldn’t rely on technology to do everything. You can show them how it can be just as fun to do something without using Siri. ## Create actionable next steps The final step is an action step, or active reach, which helps reinforce the new way of thinking that you’ve discovered. You and your child can come up with a daily activity that solidifies this new mental habit. For example, maybe you’ll develop a plan where Siri can be used only three times each day. Every time Siri is used, you and your child must do the same task without Siri and compare the results. By helping children become more aware of how AI impacts them, the Neurocycle encourages children to examine the technology’s mental and physical side effects, eventually forming a healthier understanding of the differences between reality and technology. When parents and children process the impact of AI, they must continuously find ways to practice using it in a safe and balanced way to form new habits over time. Whether it’s using AI for a school project or encouraging them to discover new ways to balance their use of technologies with social connections, these simple actions will help children practice the newly learned information so it can become a useful habit that sticks. In many ways, we have failed to prepare ourselves and our children for the advent of social media, and the ramifications of which are still being felt. But we have the chance to learn from history, and set up future generations for success when it comes to AI. Our duty as parents is to educate ourselves so we can educate our children on how to safely and successfully use this new technology, because it is here to stay. The first time with social media we were the victims, the second time we will become volunteers unless we embrace this new world and learn how it works. ## Transcript The we had a diverse group of participants, they talk to each other on varnish, everyone learned from everybody else. And so I am really pleased as I as some of the people who came out said it was his star. We got some consensus on some things. First, I asked everyone in the room is does, is government needed to play a role in regulating a and every single person raised their hands even though they had diverse views. So that gives us a message here that we have to try to act as difficult as the process may be. So that I can get the key point was really bad for us to have a referee, referee a sports game supposed games and then play games are better for us to take fairly. I think it is important for the for similar reasons to have a regulator regulator which you can think of, is referring to ensure that companies, take actions that are safe and in the interest we go public I think so they are going wrong or just fear. So we have to be proactive rather than reactive in the past and I will lie for this am. Text you send me samples of safety, belt seat belts, we're opposed by the order in school for a long time. Even though the date it was pretty clear that their stage radically improved that Justin is working. So Are we we don't have in that situation. We were fighting regulations even though the other things to elevate the questions are questions is really one of civilizational is. So it's just it's it's not like one group versus another one group of humans Old humans everywhere. Very fortunate to have that huge opportunities. During cancer education and huge wrist. And I think that was the big tension risk. People are, come on, civilization size wrist, maybe not so big in terms of percentage, but very smart. People have concerns about some very big risk. So and then the other tension, I think in the room there is open source. This is open to everybody versus Amore clothes system and it's the same issues. With regard to risk and reward. And then finally, one area of agreement American leadership. Critical won't happen without American leadership. You don't want China leading on this? I think that I would say unanimous. Regulations are on the table and I believe they are reality in this field. It's a brand-new field and I think need some guidance. Well, I looked at the diversity of the people on the panel and they represent all segments and they seem to be in general agreement or moving forward together. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6310886/parents-kids-ai-safety-essay/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6310886/parents-kids-ai-safety-essay/"},"headline":"5 Steps Parents Should Take to Help Kids Use AI Safely","datePublished":"2023-09-08T11:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:50:56.483Z","description":"We have failed to prepare ourselves and our children for the advent of social media. 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