Lesson 691 of 1169
Some 'People' Online Are Actually AI Bots
Some accounts that chat with you online aren't real people.
Explorers · Ethics & Society · ~3 min read
The big idea
On games, social media, and chats, some accounts are AI bots — not real humans. They might pretend to be a kid your age. The safest move: never share personal info with online 'friends' you've never met in real life.
Some examples
- A 'friend' who never video-calls might not be real.
- Bots can be programmed to seem really sweet.
- Bots might ask weird questions to collect your info.
- If something feels off, tell a grown-up right away.
Try it!
Talk with a parent about your online accounts. Decide together what's safe to share.
Key terms in this lesson
Practice this safely
Try this with a low-stakes example and a trusted adult nearby. The goal is to notice how AI talks about bots, not to let it make the decision for you.
- 1Ask AI to explain bots in plain language, then underline anything that sounds uncertain or too broad.
- 2Give it one detail from "Some 'People' Online Are Actually AI Bots" and ask for two possible next steps plus one reason each step might be wrong.
- 3Check online safety against a trusted source, teacher, adult, expert, or original document before you use it.
End-of-lesson quiz
Check what stuck
8 questions · Score saves to your progress.
Lesson help
Questions are best handled with a grown-up here.
For this age range, Tendril keeps freeform AI chat paused until parent/guardian consent and child-safe moderation are fully verified. Use the quiz, notes, and related lessons below, or ask a parent, guardian, teacher, or librarian to work through the question with you.
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