The “yes person” problem is such a useful way to explain this to families. Children do not only need accurate answers; they need practice with disagreement, repair, and deciding when support is too easy. A simple household question might be: “Did this tool help you think, or did it only make you feel agreed with?” That keeps the conversation relational rather than turning home into another monitoring system.
Thank you for these ideas and suggestions, Devorah, super useful as always :) I have a question: I have elementary-aged children who haven't had much exposure to AI, so they will not be bringing up the subject. Should we do it, preemptively?
Such a good question—I wouldn’t be in a rush there, if kids aren’t spending time on devices that have these portals yet. Find out what’s happening at school? Once you introduce search and search engines, you can start to talk about these tools with care. The more you know about them yourself and have figured out your own stance, the more you will be ready when they have questions. From an environmental perspective, I’m definitely trying to limit my own use.
The “yes person” problem is such a useful way to explain this to families. Children do not only need accurate answers; they need practice with disagreement, repair, and deciding when support is too easy. A simple household question might be: “Did this tool help you think, or did it only make you feel agreed with?” That keeps the conversation relational rather than turning home into another monitoring system.
Thank you for these ideas and suggestions, Devorah, super useful as always :) I have a question: I have elementary-aged children who haven't had much exposure to AI, so they will not be bringing up the subject. Should we do it, preemptively?
Such a good question—I wouldn’t be in a rush there, if kids aren’t spending time on devices that have these portals yet. Find out what’s happening at school? Once you introduce search and search engines, you can start to talk about these tools with care. The more you know about them yourself and have figured out your own stance, the more you will be ready when they have questions. From an environmental perspective, I’m definitely trying to limit my own use.