Why I Don’t Let My Child Use AI (and What I Teach Instead)

AI has become the quiet guest in every household. It writes, plans, reminds, and creates. It makes our lives easier and in some ways, more human again.

But there’s one place I draw a very clear line: I don’t let my child use AI.

Not because I’m afraid of technology.
Because I respect it.

The illusion of “harmless help”

Lately, I’ve seen more conversations about children using AI to write stories, do homework, or create art. Some say it’s the new calculator, a harmless, helpful companion that boosts creativity.

But the truth is, most of these tools were never designed for children. They don’t understand child development, emotional nuance, or age-appropriate boundaries. They replicate what’s already online and the internet, as we all know, is not exactly curated for young minds.

When my daughter asks questions, I want the answers to come from me. From books. From nature. From her own wild imagination. I want her to experience frustration, problem-solving, and that magic moment when she figures something out on her own.

Because once you hand a child a tool that does the thinking, it’s very easy for them to stop doing it themselves.

Where I do use AI as a parent

I a the founder of Mums Who AI, so it's only obvious I use AI all the time for myself. When it comes to my daughter - I use it for her.

As an example, I create stories that she loves, stories that make her laugh, feel brave, and see herself in characters who look like her. I use AI to support my parenting, not replace it.

AI helps me brainstorm creative ideas when I’m too tired to think straight. It helps me plan activities, or turn her latest obsession (dinosaurs, planets, or sometimes both) into bedtime adventures that I narrate myself.

But she’s not the one asking the questions.
I am.

That’s the difference.

The responsibility sits with us

Our children don’t yet have the critical thinking or emotional maturity to understand bias, misinformation, or the subtle way AI can shape their worldview.

That’s on us, the parents, to learn, to filter, and to guide.

Just like we wouldn’t hand over the car keys before teaching road safety, we shouldn’t hand over AI before teaching discernment.

There’s a whole digital literacy piece missing in the current rush to make AI “child-friendly.” It’s not enough to add bright colours, add friendly fonts or maybe even make things plushy and huggable, we need ethical design, parental context, and a deeper understanding of how these systems work and most importantly, safety.

Until then, the safest, most loving thing we can do is keep the tools in our hands.

What I would never do with AI

Even as someone who teaches AI use, there are boundaries I hold firm:

• I would never let AI talk directly to my child.

• I would never let it answer her emotional questions (“Why am I sad?” “Why did that kid say that?”).

• I would never use it to fill silence or cure boredom.

• I would never let it decide what’s “beautiful,” “good,” or “normal.”

Those are lessons for real life, not algorithms.

Tech can’t replace human connection

AI is incredible, but it doesn’t understand love. It doesn’t hear the wobble in your child’s voice, or feel the weight of their small hand when they’re scared.

That’s why I believe AI belongs in the background, helping us, the parents, create more space for connection, not less.

Because the point isn’t to raise tech-savvy kids. It’s to raise aware, creative, grounded humans who know how to think before they type.

Why I built Mums Who AI

This is exactly why I started Mums Who AI, not to push technology onto families, but to help parents understand it first.
To teach mums how to use AI safely, smartly, and intentionally, so they can decide where it fits in their homes, and where it doesn’t.

AI can absolutely be part of a loving, conscious family life. But it starts with us, not our kids.

With Love,

Magda x