Kids, AI, and the Rights That Should Matter

Children are using AI more than any other group, and have less legal protection. Here is what current laws cover, what they miss, and what is being debated.

28 min · Reviewed 2026

The Age Gap in AI Policy

AI products are designed by adults, tested mostly by adults, and governed by laws written when you could not do homework on a phone. The group that uses chatbots most — kids and teens — is the group whose interests are least represented in how these systems get built.

The laws that exist

COPPA (US, 1998): protects data of kids under 13 — predates modern AI by 25 years
GDPR-K (EU): stronger protections for under-16s, varies by country
California AADC (2022): age-appropriate design code for online services
UK Children's Code (2021): 15 standards for online services used by kids
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child General Comment 25 (2021): applies children's rights to the digital environment

The gaps these laws leave

COPPA regulates data collection but not AI outputs, so it does not directly address a chatbot giving a 10-year-old bad advice. Most laws depend on age verification, which in practice means a checkbox that says I am 13. Almost nobody does real age verification, and the ones that try use biometrics that raise their own issues.

What researchers say kids actually need

Age-appropriate defaults, not age-appropriate toggles
Data minimization: collect as little as possible, delete soon
Clear, kid-readable explanations of what the AI can and cannot do
No dark patterns that push prolonged engagement
Meaningful refusal: the AI should refuse sensitive topics firmly and offer real help, not just disclaim
Human oversight paths that do not require a credit card

Compare: adult vs. kid-appropriate defaults

Feature	Default for adults	Default for kids (ideal)
Data retention	30 days or opt-out	Minimum viable, session-only
Training on chats	Opt-out	Opt-in with parental approval
Persistent memory	On	Off
Mature content	Configurable	Off, unbypassable
Engagement design	Optimized	Plain
Crisis handling	Resource links	Resource links + human path

The hidden question: who decides?

A real tension runs through this space. Parents want control. Teens want privacy. Both wants are legitimate. Kids fleeing abusive homes need private information channels. Parents of younger kids need visibility. No single policy covers both cases well, and designers are mostly avoiding the hard choice.

Children have rights online, not as a courtesy, but as a matter of law and dignity.
— UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, General Comment 25

The big idea: kids use AI the most and shape its rules the least. Closing that gap is partly law, partly design, and partly youth showing up in the rooms where decisions get made.

End-of-lesson check

8 questions · take it digitally for instant feedback at tendril.neural-forge.io/learn/quiz/end-ethics-kids-rights-builders

What is the main idea of "Kids, AI, and the Rights That Should Matter"?
1. Children are using AI more than any other group, and have less legal protection.
2. Use AI as the final authority for the whole decision
3. Avoid checking the answer once it sounds polished
4. Focus only on speed instead of judgment
Which concept is most central to "Kids, AI, and the Rights That Should Matter"?
1. child safety
2. COPPA
3. age verification
4. UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Which use of AI fits this topic best?
1. Let the AI decide what matters without your review
2. Use the answer before checking whether it fits the situation
3. COPPA (US, 1998): protects data of kids under 13 — predates modern AI by 25 years
4. Use the first answer without checking it
What should a careful learner remember about "Documented harms with kids"?
1. Use AI to draft or organize ideas about COPPA, then verify before acting.
2. Skip the context so the tool can guess faster
3. Treat the output as private even after sharing it online
4. Use the answer without checking the source
You want to use AI after this lesson. What is the safest next step?
1. Act immediately because the AI answer is written clearly
2. AI cannot make the human values decision for you.
3. Hide uncertainty so the final answer looks cleaner
4. Use private or sensitive details before checking permission
How should AI output about COPPA be treated?
1. As proof that no other source is needed
2. As a replacement for context, consent, or expert review
3. As a draft or helper output that still needs human judgment and verification
4. As something that becomes correct when it sounds confident
Name one way to verify an AI answer about COPPA.
Which action would help you apply "Kids, AI, and the Rights That Should Matter" responsibly?
1. Use the tool to avoid thinking through the tradeoff
2. Keep going even if the output conflicts with a trusted source
3. Use the first answer without checking it
4. GDPR-K (EU): stronger protections for under-16s, varies by country

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Tendril · Builders · Ethics & Society