Please note: this guide is general information for parents, not medical, psychological or other professional advice, and it can’t take your child’s individual situation into account. If you’re worried about your child’s health, wellbeing or safety, speak to their school or a qualified professional such as your family doctor. In an emergency, contact your local emergency number.
You must be at least 13 to use ChatGPT, and anyone under 18 needs a parent’s or legal guardian’s permission, according to OpenAI’s terms of use. Some countries set a higher minimum. Other popular assistants have their own rules — Claude, for example, requires users to be 18. Here is what each tool says, what it means for homework, and how younger children can still benefit with a parent in charge.
Age rules at a glance
Checked against each company’s official terms and help pages on the date shown at the top of this guide. Terms change, so follow the links to confirm before you set up an account.
| Tool | Minimum age (personal use) | Under 18 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT (OpenAI) | 13, or higher if your country requires it | Needs a parent’s or guardian’s permission. Teen accounts can be linked to a parent for parental controls. | OpenAI Terms of Use |
| Google Gemini | 13 for a standard personal Google account in most countries | Google offers supervised access for some younger children in some countries through parent-managed accounts. Check Google’s help pages for your country. | Gemini Apps Help |
| Microsoft Copilot | 13, or higher in some countries | Some features are limited or turned off for users under 18. | Microsoft Support |
| Claude (Anthropic) | 18 | Not permitted for under-18s on consumer plans. | Anthropic Consumer Terms |
What “13 with parent permission” means in practice
OpenAI’s terms say users must be at least 13 (or the minimum age to consent in their country), and that anyone under 18 must have a parent’s or legal guardian’s permission. That has three practical consequences for families:
- Under-13s should not have their own ChatGPT account. Signing up with a false birth date breaks the terms and removes the extra protections OpenAI applies to accounts it believes belong to minors.
- Teens 13–17 need your permission. That’s a good moment to agree how it will be used — see our family AI agreement.
- You can link a teen’s account to yours. ChatGPT’s parental controls work for linked accounts of users aged 13 to 17.
Is ChatGPT safe for kids?
It depends heavily on age, supervision and how it is used. The main risks parents should understand:
- Confident mistakes. AI can state wrong facts or wrong maths in a convincing tone. Children are less likely to spot this.
- Inappropriate content. Filters exist and are stronger on teen accounts, but no filter is perfect.
- Emotional reliance. Some young people use chatbots for comfort or advice on serious problems. These tools are not a substitute for trusted adults or professional help.
- Privacy. Conversations may be stored and, depending on settings, used to improve models.
- Doing the work for them. For homework, the most common problem is simply that the AI hands over answers. A tutor prompt addresses that directly.
For homework specifically, the safest pattern is: the right tool for the child’s age, a tutor prompt that forbids answers, sessions in a shared room, and a short weekly check-in.
ChatGPT parental controls: what they do and don’t do
According to OpenAI, a parent can invite a teen (13–17) to link accounts from Settings → Parental controls. Once linked, parents can manage settings such as:
- reduced sensitive content (on by default for linked teen accounts),
- quiet hours when ChatGPT can’t be used,
- whether the teen’s conversations can be used to train models,
- features such as voice mode, memory and image generation,
- notifications in some situations where the system detects a serious safety risk.
Parents cannot read their teen’s conversations through these controls. Details are in OpenAI’s parental controls announcement. Settings change over time, so check the current options in the app.
What younger children can do instead
Children under 13 can still benefit from AI help with homework — the parent just runs it. On your own account:
- Use AI to understand the topic yourself first. Our ChatGPT prompts for parents are built for this.
- If you want the AI to tutor your child directly, sit together: you type, read its questions aloud, and type your child’s answers.
- Use a tutor prompt written for the parent-led setup (there’s one in our tutor prompt guide).
Choosing the right tool by age
| Age | Suggested approach |
|---|---|
| 5–9 | Parent uses AI to prepare and explains it themselves. Occasional parent-led AI sessions on the parent’s account. |
| 10–12 | Parent-led sessions with a tutor prompt, child typing with you beside them. |
| 13–15 | Own ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot account with your permission, linked parental controls where offered, family agreement, weekly check-in. |
| 16–17 | More independence under the same agreement. Focus on honest use for writing and coursework. |
| 18+ | Any tool, including Claude. The habits built earlier are what matters now. |
These are general suggestions, not official or professional guidance. Your child’s maturity, school rules and your own judgement come first.
The AI Tutor Vault’s prompts are written for the parent to set up — including a chapter of prompts that explain the topic to you before you help a younger child. See the AI Tutor Vault.
Common mistakes
- Setting up a child’s account with an adult birth date. It breaks the terms and removes protections designed for minors.
- Assuming parental controls equal supervision. They reduce some risks; they don’t show you what your teen is asking.
- Letting your teen use your adult account. Adult accounts don’t have teen protections, and your own history and memory settings become part of their chats.
- Forgetting school tools. Many schools provide AI through their own platforms with their own rules. Ask what your child already has access to.
Frequently asked questions
Can a 12-year-old use ChatGPT?
Not with their own account. OpenAI requires users to be at least 13. A parent can use ChatGPT on their own account alongside a 12-year-old, staying in charge of the session.
Does ChatGPT verify age?
ChatGPT asks for a birth date, and OpenAI has said it uses age prediction to apply teen protections to accounts it believes belong to under-18s. No system is foolproof, which is why parental involvement still matters.
Which AI assistant is safest for kids?
No AI tool is risk-free, and we don’t rank providers. The biggest safety factors are within your control: respecting each tool’s age rules, supervision, a tutor setup that keeps the AI in its role, and clear family rules.
Why can’t my teenager use Claude?
Anthropic’s consumer terms require users to be at least 18. Teens should use a tool whose terms allow their age.
Do school-provided AI tools follow the same age rules?
Not always. Education versions are often governed by agreements between the provider and the school. Ask the school which tools are approved and for what.
Next steps
Check which tools your child already uses (including through school), compare them with the table above, and agree a plan. If your teen is getting their own account, link it to yours and write a short family AI agreement together. Then set the AI up as a tutor with our step-by-step guide to using ChatGPT for homework.