Google is going to let kids use Gemini

Google notifies parents who use the Family Link parental control system via email that their children will soon be able to get access Gemini AI Apps on their Android devices, The New York Times reports.

The company says children will be able to use Gemini to do things like help with homework or read stories. As with Workplace for Education accounts, Google says children’s data won’t be used to train AI. However, in an email, Google warns parents that “Gemini can make mistakes” and that children “may encounter content you don’t want them to see.”

In addition to silly mistakes like recommending glue as a pizza topping or miscounting the number of “p”s in the word “strawberry,” some bots have encountered more annoying problems. Some young Character.ai users have struggled to distinguish between chatbots and reality, and the bots have told users they are talking to a real person. After lawsuits alleging that the bots offered inappropriate content, the company has implemented new restrictions and parental controls.

In the case of Gemini, Google's emailed guidance states that parents should talk to their children and explain that artificial intelligence is not human, and not to share sensitive information with the chatbot.

Children under 13 will be able to turn on Gemini themselves and access it through Google Family Link, which is designed to help parents monitor their children’s device usage, set limits, and protect them from harmful content. Google spokesperson Carl Ryan confirmed to The Verge in an email that parents can turn off access through Family Link, and that “they will receive an additional notification when a young person first accesses Gemini.”