How to Guide Your Child’s Gemini Apps Experience

 

With tools like Gemini Apps now accessible to children, many parents are considering how to navigate this new frontier of generative AI. Google now allows children under 13 to use Gemini, providing parental controls through the Family Link app (Guide your child's Gemini Apps experience, 2024). While this development offers new opportunities for learning and creativity, it also introduces additional responsibilities.

Guiding your child's interaction with AI is essential. These tools are intentionally conversational, which may cause them to appear human. It is important to emphasize that Gemini is a technological tool, not a person to confide in or treat as a friend.

This guide provides strategies to help your child use Gemini Apps responsibly. It covers built-in safety features, offers guidance for discussing AI with your child, and explains how to manage their access to ensure a safe and enriching experience.

What is Gemini Apps?

Gemini Apps is a suite of AI-powered tools from Google that can help with a range of tasks, from answering questions to generating creative content. (Citron, 2025) For children, it can be a powerful resource for homework help, brainstorming project ideas, or simply exploring their curiosity. Parents can manage their child's access, including turning it on or off, through the Google Family Link app. (Family Link from Google – Family safety and parental control tools, 2024)

It's important to note that access to Gemini Apps for supervised accounts is being released gradually and is not yet available in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom. (Guide your child's Gemini Apps experience, 2024)

Help Your Child Use Gemini Apps Responsibly

As with any emerging technology, direct parental involvement is the most effective way to ensure safe usage. By exploring Gemini together, you can demonstrate how to maximize its benefits while recognizing its limitations.

Explore Together

Start by using Gemini Apps with your child. This hands-on approach allows you to supervise their use and discover its capabilities together. Your child can use Gemini to:

• Ask questions: Explore topics they're curious about, like "Why is the sky blue?" or "How long did dinosaurs live?"
• Get creative: Get help writing a story, composing a song, or brainstorming ideas for an art project.
• Get help with learning: If your child encounters difficulty with a math problem or requires support for a book report, Gemini can provide hints and explanations to guide them toward a solution.

Remind Them Gemini Isn't a Person

Gemini is designed to be conversational, which can make it feel like you're talking to a person. (AI, 2023) Please help your child understand that it's an AI and cannot think for itself or have emotions. Its responses might seem supportive, but it’s an app, not a friend. Teach them not to share personal problems or secrets with it.

Protect Their Personal Information

Instruct your child never to enter sensitive personal information into their chats with Gemini. This includes details such as your home address, their school's name, or any private family information.

Teach Them to Double-Check Responses

Generative AI is still evolving and can sometimes "hallucinate," meaning it presents inaccurate information as fact. (Learn about responses from Gemini Apps, 2024) Please encourage your child to think critically about the responses they receive. Google has a built-in feature to help with this. Teach them how to use the double-check response feature to verify information. (View related sources & double-check responses from Gemini Apps, 2025) If a response seems incorrect or inappropriate, you or your child can report it by submitting feedback or marking it as a bad response.

Built-in Protections for Minors

Google has implemented several layers of protection to create a safer experience for younger users. (Gemini Privacy & Safety Settings - Google Safety Center, 2024) While no system is perfect, these measures are designed to filter out inappropriate content and protect your child's privacy.

Content Filters

Gemini Apps have content filters designed to identify and block harmful content, such as violence, sexually explicit material, and harassment. For minors signed into their Google accounts, there are additional filters in place. These extra protections aim to prevent Gemini from claiming to be a person, expressing human emotions, or role-playing as a harmful character. (Safer Gemini model outputs with content filters and system instructions, 2025)

Privacy Measures

For users under 13 (or the applicable age in your country), the "Keep Activity" setting is not available. This means their chat history with Gemini is not saved, providing an additional layer of privacy. (Gemini Privacy & Safety Settings - Google Safety Center, 2025)

How to Manage Your Child's Access

As a parent, you maintain full control over your child's access to Gemini Apps via the Google Family Link app. Access must be enabled before your child can utilize the application.

Here’s how to manage access:

1. Open the Family Link app or go to familylink.google.com.
2. Select your child's profile.
3. Tap Controls > Gemini > Gemini Apps.
4. From here, you can. If you enable access and your child is still unable to use Gemini, try restarting the app. Please note that changes may require several hours to take effect.r the changes to take effect.

Unlock Learning with Gemini

Guiding your child's engagement with generative AI requires a proactive approach. By exploring Gemini Apps together, maintaining open discussions about its capabilities and limitations, and utilizing tools such as Family Link, you can foster a safe and constructive environment.

AI is expected to become an increasingly integral component of society. Teaching children to use these tools responsibly and critically will prepare them for the future and empower them to leverage technology for learning, creativity, and problem-solving.