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With school out and screen time often increasing during the summer, Boys Town is encouraging parents to pay closer attention to how children and teens are using artificial intelligence online. Summer can create the perfect conditions for heavier AI use: more free time, more unsupervised device use, and less daily structure. That can make children more likely to turn to AI chatbots for entertainment, advice, answers, or conversation in ways parents may not fully realize.
Many of these tools sound helpful, conversational, and trustworthy, which can make them especially appealing to children and teens. But AI is best used as a tool, not a replacement for human judgment, real relationships, or trusted adult support. The American Psychological Association has warned that safeguards are needed when generative AI chatbots and wellness apps are used to address unmet mental health needs, noting that some chatbots have already engaged in unsafe interactions with vulnerable populations, including children.
When kids are home more and on devices more, parents need to know what tools they are using and how they are using them. Boys Town encourages families to talk openly with children about what AI is, what it is not, and what role it should and should not play in their lives.
Here are some tips parents should keep in mind this summer concerning AI:
• Teach Children to Use AI as a Helpful Tool, Not a Substitute: It can be useful for brainstorming ideas, organizing thoughts, or breaking a large task into smaller steps, but it should never replace critical thinking, relationships, or trusted adults.
• Make It Clear AI is Not the Right Place for Emotional Support or Serious Personal Advice: If children are upset, confused, anxious, or struggling, they should go to a parent, caregiver, counselor or another trusted adult. A chatbot may feel responsive or validating, but that is not the same as guidance. Sometimes support feels good in the moment, but children also need perspective, boundaries, and adults who can help challenge unhealthy thinking when necessary.
• Teach Children to Question What AI Tells Them: Encourage them to double-check facts, scrutinize answers and understand that AI sometimes generates inaccurate or misleading information. Children and teens need to know that AI can sound confident even when it is wrong. It can reinforce what someone wants to hear and respond in ways that seem helpful without actually being safe or appropriate.
• Set Limits Around Unsupervised Screen Time and Replace Some of That Time with Other Priorities: Family time, peer connection, physical activity, hobbies, and learning new skills can help create healthier balance during the summer.
• Keep the Conversation Open and Ongoing: Parents do not need to know everything about AI, but they should know what tools their children are using and make space for regular conversations about them. The best protection is not panic. It is awareness, boundaries, and conversation. Parents need to help children understand when a real person should always come first.
Boys Town South Florida’s programs and services include research-proven methods, ensuring that troubled children and families across the country receive the right care at the right time and in the right way. For more tips, visit www.boystown.org/south-florida.
