Voice assistants, interactive games, video recommendations… Artificial intelligence is already part of the daily lives of children, and sometimes without adults realising its impact.
Although this technology promises exciting pedagogical opportunities, it also poses many questions: What does my child really understand about these tools? Are they safe? Can they use them wisely, and most importantly, are they beneficial?
École Galilée is particularly attentive to the cognitive and emotional needs of children. We think it’s important to study this issue with nuance: without fear of technology, but with rigor. That is what our bilingual school in the Paris region offers in this article: simple ways to understand what artificial intelligence really entails for your children.
What Is Artificial Intelligence?
Artificial intelligence is a term that we hear more and more often, without always understanding what it really means. It is therefore essential to have a clear and accessible understanding of artificial intelligence in order to be able to explain it to children in a way that makes sense to them.
A Simple Definition with Imagery
Artificial intelligence, often written as AI, designates the ability of some machines – like computers, robots and some software programs – to execute tasks that we usually associate with human intelligence, such as learning, solving problems, recognising objects or conversing.
AI has neither emotions nor intuition. It doesn’t “think” like a human, but it is capable of analysing data and repeating actions very quickly.
Where Do We Find it in Daily Life?
In an ever-more connected world, artificial intelligence is already a big part of family life, often without us realising it. It is in tools we use every day such as:
- video and music recommendations on YouTube, Netflix and Spotify,
- voice assistants (like Alexa and Siri),
- GPS with optimised itineraries,
- spelling correctors in word processing software,
- robot vacuums and connected devices at home.
Do Children Use AI? Are They Already Exposed to It?
From a very young age, children use tools based on artificial intelligence without necessary knowing it:
- video games where characters adapt their actions,
- voice assistants that respond to questions,
- educational software that offers customised exercises.
And as they grow up, they are exposed to AI more and more. Artificial intelligence can turn into a learning aid or, on the other hand, become a source of distraction, or even confusion. This is why it is important for adults to understand how it’s used in order to better help children.
How Can I Explain Artificial Intelligence to Children?
Artificial intelligence may seem abstract, or even intimidating. However, it is absolutely possible to talk to children about it, even very young children, as long as you adapt your language to their age.
Using Age-Appropriate Language with Children
At each step in development, the child builds new cognitive references, which influence how they understand and learn.
Before the age of 6, the approach must be essentially based on images and games. The idea is to awaken their curiosity without going into technical details. An example explanation: “This robot can learn on its own, kind of like you when you learn how to read letters.”
Between the ages of 6 and 9, the child can begin to understand the overall function of AI, as long as you use examples from their daily life.
After the age of 10, you can introduce more complex notions (programming, learning through data, etc.), while begin careful not to make things too abstract.
Use Comparisons and Specific Examples
To make AI understandable, start with what the child knows. For example:
- A voice assistant? “It’s a machine that listens to you and tries to find the best answer to your question.”
- AI in a game? “It learns how you play so it can make the game more difficult or interesting for you.”
- Video suggestions? “A program that tries to guess what you will like to watch next.”
These parallels between artificial intelligence and real life bring invisible mechanisms to life, anchoring them in familiar experiences.
Use A Variety of Fun Tools
Today, many pedagogical tools introduce artificial intelligence in a fun and age-appropriate way:
- illustrated books that explain the basic ideas by telling stories,
- applications that introduce children to algorithms,
- toy robots that are easy to program,
- educational videos like those created by UNESCO or educational channels for children.
The key is to encourage active experimentation, allowing the child to test, manipulate, create, and ask questions!
Encourage Dialogue and Critical Thinking
AI should not be seen as unexplainable “magic”. Teach your child to ask questions about the tool they are using from a young age:
- “Why was this video suggested?”
- “Can this machine make a mistake?”
- “Is what you read/see true?”
These discussions encourage your child’s critical thinking, which is the essential starting point of all responsible digital education.
Learning with Artificial Intelligence: Pedagogical and Tools and Games
Artificial intelligence is much more than just a game. It can be a powerful tool for learning when used properly. Choosing the right tools that are appropriate for the child’s age can enrich learning, boost motivation, and provide for specific needs that are often poorly taken into account in traditional approaches.
Personalised and Stimulating Learning
One of the major advantages of artificial intelligence resides in its ability to adapt to the learning pace of each child. For example, some educational platforms analyse answers and progressively adjust the level of the exercises so that they are neither too easy nor too difficult. This personalisation helps maintain the child’s interest, keeps them from getting bored, and encourages them to progress, rewarding them for each completed step. It also generates a feeling of independence and success in the child, which are essential factors in learning.
Benefits for Children with Specific Needs
AI can also be a precious resource for gifted children or children with attention, language or learning disabilities. With repetition, visualisation and breaking down tasks, some tools help these children get around difficulties or better capitalise on their strengths.
Tools for Every Age
Young children discover AI without even knowing what it’s called, through interactive games or programmable robots designed to facilitate logic and curiosity. From the age of six, children can begin to manipulate visual coding environments as part of a game that encourages experimentation. At age nine, they can generally understand the basic principles of how AI works and work on small projects, such as creating a machine that recognises images, programming a robot, or designing an interactive game.
At each stage in the child’s development, it is important to offer tools adapted to their level of cognitive and emotional maturity to keep learning exciting, accessible, and meaningful.
Does AI Pose a Risk to Children? What Parents Need to Know
Artificial intelligence offers undeniable educational opportunities, but there are also things to watch out for, particularly for children. Without fearmongering, here we will identify the dangers of digital technology for children in order to better avoid them, keeping in mind that technology, when used properly, is a tool in the service of the child’s development.
Biased Content and Addictive Algorithms
Algorithms that select online content are not neutral. They are designed to capture attention, often to the detriment of information quality. In children, this can create a type of dependency or build a limited vision of the world, often dictated by what the machine thinks that they will “like”.
One of the major risks resides in the repetition of similar content, which impedes discovery, nuance, and an open mind.
Privacy and Data Security
Many applications that use AI collect personal data to function. These practices are regulated by laws like the GDPR, but they are often opaque, particularly for young users.
Children are not always aware of the information that they share online: name, voice, location and use patterns. But this data may be stored, analysed and even reused for commercial ends. It is therefore essential to be rigorous with use of digital technology and choose tools that respect privacy.
Proper Use of Screens and Balance in Daily Life
Artificial intelligence, even when well intentioned, uses digital technology – usually screens – which can disturb a child’s natural rhythms when used in excess. The effects of excessive exposure to screens are well documented: visual fatigue, sleep problems and agitation.
The idea isn’t to make educational tools the enemy, but rather to use them appropriately: not for too long, not too late, and always with an adult.
Practical Tips for Parents
Helping a child use artificial intelligence doesn’t require a high degree of technical skill, but rather an active and caring presence. Asking and answering questions, taking interest in what the child does online, setting usage rules (time, place, authorised applications) and experimenting with applications with them are all ways to create a safe environment.
Responsible Digital Education
As artificial intelligence is being integrated into educational environments, it has become essential to provide children with a structured, clear and rigorous digital education. The goal is not only to familiarise them with the tools, but to help them understand how these technologies work, what they involve, and how to use them with discretion.
Preparing Children for the Technology of the Future
The world in which our children will live will be profoundly influenced by artificial intelligence. This doesn’t mean we have to teach all children how to program, but we do need to give them the keys to become active and critical users. Understanding the role of data, automatic learning mechanisms and the effects of algorithms on our day-to-day choices are now essential skills that children must learn, just like reading, writing and counting.
Raising Awareness of Ethics and Algorithm Bias
Artificial intelligence is not neutral. It reproduces the data on which it was trained, with the same approximations, absences, and prejudices. Teaching children about this reality, even in a simplified way, helps them understand that machines can also make mistakes. Discussing ideas like the credibility of information, the bias of a result and privacy rights is teaching them informed use of digital tools, based on responsibility and vigilance.
Cooperation: Parents, Teachers and Schools Together
Education on artificial intelligence cannot come from only one source. It requires close collaboration between families, teachers and schools, each with a complementary role to play. From our bilingual nursery school in Paris through our bilingual middle school in Paris, we teach, supervise, and help structure knowledge. Parents can continue these conversations at home, opening a dialogue and connecting information with daily life. Together, they can help the child develop an active, ethical and creative approach to artificial intelligence.
Artificial intelligence is now part of children’s daily lives. The idea isn’t to avoid it, but rather to teach them how to use it appropriately as a learning tool.
At our international school in Paris, digital education is central to our approach. We provide each student with a structured, stimulating and compassionate environment, so that they may grow with confidence in a technological world that is always changing.