Lesson 243 of 1169
When to Tell a Grown-Up About Something AI Did
Sometimes AI says or shows weird, scary, or wrong stuff. Telling a trusted grown-up is the right move — always.
Explorers · Ethics & Society · ~24 min read
The big idea
If AI ever says something that makes you feel weird, scared, sad, or confused, tell a grown-up you trust. You are not in trouble. They want to know.
Some examples
- AI shows a picture that scares you. Tell a grown-up.
- AI says something mean about a friend. Tell a grown-up.
- AI asks you to share personal info. Tell a grown-up.
- AI says something that does not feel right. Tell a grown-up.
Try it!
Pick the grown-up in your life you would tell. Tell them now: 'You are who I would talk to if anything weird happened with AI.' That makes the path clearer for both of you.
Practice this safely
Try this with a low-stakes example and a trusted adult nearby. The goal is to notice how AI talks about safety, not to let it make the decision for you.
- 1Ask AI to explain safety in plain language, then underline anything that sounds uncertain or too broad.
- 2Give it one detail from "When to Tell a Grown-Up About Something AI Did" and ask for two possible next steps plus one reason each step might be wrong.
- 3Check trusted adult 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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