5 reasons why Gemini AI is bad news for kids

Date:
Wed, 14 May 2025 07:49:13 +0000

Description:
AI doesn't just expose children to misinformation and bias, it can stop them from learning creative and critical thinking skills.

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As a family tech expert, Ive seen social media and tech companies do some pretty incredible things. But Googles plan to roll out Gemini, its AI chatbot
, to users under 13, is wild. They gave notice to parents in an email, but it felt much more like a warning than a warm invitation.

So, why are they doing this? No ones really sure, although Google is simply just joining Instagram, Snapchat, and a whole host of other platforms in the race to bring AI to nearly every facet of our lives.

Children, though, are much more vulnerable than adults especially when it
comes to online interactions. Here are my top 5 concerns about Googles recent and reckless decision in opening up Gemini to kids 13 and under.

1. Its teaching kids to outsource thinking and creativity from a very early
age

Young kids need to be practicing writing, drawing, and critically thinking
with their own minds not using scraped words and images dredged up from the depths of the internet.

Chat GPT is already proving to be a breeding ground for cheating and
shortcuts in schools. Giving younger kids instant access to Gemini will only accelerate this introduction to cutting corners when it comes to learning and being creative.

2. Misinformation is rife on the platform

When an AI platform like Gemini provides completely wrong information, its called a hallucination. Thats a quaint way of saying making things up that
are total nonsense.

Google even says in its FAQs about Gemini in the Family Link app that [Hallucinations are] a strange term, but it basically just means that Gemini sometimes gets things wrong or says things that arent true. [They] can sound real, and Gemini might even say them confidently.

For adults, these types of errors may be easy to recognize and ignore, like saying that the capital of France is Cairo. But for kids, they may not know when to double-check a simple answer let alone something complicated or nuanced. This sort of defeats the purpose of having Gemini help with homework for children.

3. Inappropriate content can present dangers to kids

Gemini can also act as a chatbot friend for kids, which presents multiple dangers. Other similar chatbots have been blamed for exposure to sexual
content and even one childs suicide.

Of course, Google has stated that the Gemini for kids will have safeguards,
but theres never a guarantee that inappropriate things wont slip through the cracks especially when these AI platforms regularly hallucinate.

Fortunately, apps like Bark can monitor your childs saved photos, videos, and even text messages for inappropriate content they may save or share from Gemini.

4. Personal info thats shared can be hacked

Sharing personal information from sensitive emotional states to home
addresses to personal photos with an AI platform is vulnerable because everything can be hacked. If someone were to gain access to your childs
Gemini chats, it could be stressful and even dangerous. Hate speech and bias can be conveyed in Gemini responses

The way AI platforms like Gemini work is by scraping the totality of the internet for similar information information that was written by other
humans.

That means that human biases and viewpoints can be presented by Gemini as truth, which we now know isnt even always true.

Because AI platforms provide answers based on information that humans
created, it can mirror prejudices that exist in the data its fed with. This
can include harmful positions about marginalized groups.

Final word

At the end of the day, technology is just another tool that can make our
lives easier, but its just that a tool, not a necessity.

Even though calculators are used every day in advanced math, kids still learn how to count, add, subtract, multiply, and divide the old-school way in elementary school.

The same should go with AI platforms like Gemini when it comes to writing, thinking, and being creative.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry
today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not
necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/5-reasons-why-gemini-ai-is-bad-news-for-kids

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