The school requires an AI tool and I am not sure about it
You do not have to accept it blindly or fight it. Send the school six plain questions, the most important being: does the tool give answers, or does it guide the student to work them out? Then keep one rule at home whatever the school decides: your own attempt comes first.
What is going on
More schools are adopting AI tools, and parents often hear about it in a short letter. Your doubt is reasonable. So is the school's choice, in many cases: a tool chosen and set up by teachers can be a better place to start than whatever a child finds alone.
How the tool is used matters more than whether it is used. A review of 52 studies by Stanford's SCALE Initiative (November 2026, a research review, not a journal article) concluded that AI used to explain or guide practice looks more promising than AI that produces answers, and that even the better kind does not reliably improve learning. That is why the questions below matter.
What to do this week
Send six questions, politely
Which tool is it, and is it a school edition? Whose account does my child use? What is stored, and who can see it? Does it give answers or hints? Is it for class only, or homework too? What is the alternative if we say no?
Ask to see it
Ask your child to show you one real task done with the tool. Ten minutes will tell you more than the brochure.
Check the age rules
School editions often have their own terms. Ask the school which terms apply, and check the service's own age rules.
Keep the home rule
"Try first, then use the tool." It fits with any school tool and does not put your child at odds with their teacher.
What not to do
- Do not tell your child to refuse in class. It puts them in the middle of an adult disagreement.
- Do not assume the worst or the best. Tools differ a great deal. Ask before you decide.
- Do not open with a complaint. Questions get answers. Complaints get a policy document.
The honest limit
We do not know your school's tool, and we cannot tell you whether it is a good one. Privacy and consent rules differ by country and we are not lawyers. If the answers you get are thin, ask who chose the tool and how they will judge whether it is helping. That is a fair question for any parent.
Questions
Can I opt my child out?
That depends on the school and on local rules. Ask what the alternative is. Some schools will offer the same task without the tool if a parent asks.
Is a school AI tool safer than ChatGPT at home?
It can be, if it is a managed school edition with teacher oversight. It is not automatic. The answers to the six questions will tell you.
Does a "study mode" solve this?
It helps while it is switched on. Some school editions can require it, and in most consumer versions the student can leave it. Our comparison of study modes has the details.