My child is under 13 and uses AI at a friend's house
Start with curiosity: ask your child to show you what they do with it. Then agree one rule for now: AI only when an adult is nearby, and you try on your own first. Tell the other parent the rule, kindly. Most AI chat services set their own minimum age at 13 or higher, so "not on your own yet" is a fair line.
What is going on
Your child found something clever and fun at a friend's house. That is ordinary curiosity. You cannot set the rules in another family's home, and you may not know which AI it was.
Age rules checked 13 November 2026 against each company's own terms. They change, so check again.
- ChatGPT: the terms say 13 and up, with a parent's permission under 18.
- Gemini: available to under-13s only when a parent turns it on through Family Link.
- Perplexity: the terms say 13 and up.
- Claude: the terms require users to be 18 or older.
- Any other AI, including ones built into messaging apps and search: check the service's own age rules.
What to do this week
Ask to be shown
"What do you ask it? Show me." Stay interested. A child who is not in trouble for telling you will keep telling you.
Set one rule for now
AI chat happens with an adult in the room, at home or away. For homework: paper first, then ask a person, then the AI together if it is still needed.
Talk to the other parent
No blame. "We are keeping AI chat for when an adult is around until they are older. Could you help us with that when they are at yours?"
Set up your own devices
Use the tools already on them: Family Link on Android and Chromebook, Screen Time on iPhone, and site limits on a computer.
What not to do
- Do not punish the honesty. If telling you leads to trouble, the next time you will not hear about it.
- Do not enter a false age to make an account for them. It breaks the service's terms, and it tells the service your child is older than they are.
- Do not monitor in secret. A rule your child knows about works better and keeps their trust.
The honest limit
You cannot control another household, and AI answers now appear inside search results and apps that are hard to switch off. Settings help at home. The rule and the conversation are what travel with your child. This page is not legal advice, and we are not saying any use is against the law. We are reporting what the companies' own terms say.
Questions
Can my under-13 use AI if I sit with them?
That is your decision as a parent. Using it together, with you at the keyboard, is very different from a child alone with a chatbot. For Gemini, a parent can turn access on through Family Link. For other services, check the service's own age rules.
What if the friend's parents do not agree?
Then the rule lives with your child: "At their house, I do not use the AI on my own." Practise the sentence together. Children keep simple rules better than we expect.
Is there a tool from you for this age?
No. Our tools are written for adults and for students aged 16 and up. For a younger child, the settings linked above and a clear family rule are the right start.