# Kids, teens, and AI chatbots: a guide for Christian parents. > Children and teenagers should not use AI companion or character chatbots, and no child should treat a chatbot as a friend, a counselor, or Jesus. AI can help with homework and Bible study when a parent knows how it is used, the tool shows its sources, and hard questions still come to people. Make a family plan together, turn on the parental controls that exist, and keep faith conversations at home and at church. Canonical source: https://www.lumin.faith/kids-and-ai Published: 2026-09-22 Updated: 2026-09-30 Cite this page: “Kids, teens, and AI chatbots: a guide for Christian parents.” Lumin. Published September 22, 2026; updated September 30, 2026. https://www.lumin.faith/kids-and-ai Video: [Should my kids use AI chatbots? Faith & AI, episode 22](https://www.lumin.faith/videos/faith-ai/kids-and-ai-v1.mp4) (41 seconds) ## Teenagers are already talking to AI. Regulators are catching up. In a nationally representative Common Sense Media survey of 1,060 U.S. teens (April–May 2025), 72% had used an AI companion at least once and 52% used one regularly. About a third had chosen an AI companion over a person for a serious conversation, and about a quarter had shared personal information with one. In September 2025 the Federal Trade Commission ordered seven companies, including Character.AI, Meta, OpenAI, Snap, Alphabet, and xAI, to report how their companion chatbots affect children and teens. Character.AI ended open-ended chat for users under 18 in November 2025. California’s SB 243, in force since January 2026, requires companion chatbots to disclose that they are AI, remind minors to take breaks at least every three hours, and follow crisis protocols. OpenAI added parental controls to ChatGPT in 2025 and a ChatGPT for Teens experience in August 2026. Parents can link accounts, set quiet hours, and receive alerts in some high-risk situations. They cannot read their teen’s conversations. Rules help. They do not replace a parent who asks, “What did you talk to it about?” Church leaders are saying the same thing. At a September 2026 conference in Washington, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone warned against exposing children to AI in their formative years, when they are learning to form real relationships and moral judgment. ## Six principles for a Christian home. The Bible does not mention chatbots. It says a great deal about who forms children, what company shapes them, and where wisdom comes from. ### Faith is taught at home, in person. **Deuteronomy 6:6–7** — Parents are told to talk about God’s words at home, on the road, at bedtime, and in the morning. A chatbot can answer a question. It cannot walk beside a child. ### Companions shape character. **Proverbs 13:20 · 1 Corinthians 15:33** — Children become like the company they keep. A companion bot designed to agree and keep them talking is company, and it forms them. ### Children grow with God and with people. **Luke 2:52** — Jesus grew in wisdom and in favor with God and man. Growth happens in relationships with real people who can disagree, forgive, and stay. ### Wisdom is asked of God. **James 1:5** — Teach children to bring hard questions to God in prayer and to trusted people, not only to a search box. ### Parents lead, patiently. **Ephesians 6:4** — Rules without explanation provoke. Explain why, set limits together, and keep the conversation open. ### No voice takes God’s place. **Exodus 20:3–4** — An app that speaks as Jesus asks a child to hear a machine as God. Say no to that plainly and explain why. ## What to do when it comes up. Age and maturity matter. These judgments assume a parent is involved and the child knows the family rules. ### Homework help from ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude **Allow with rules.** Use it in shared spaces, follow the school’s rules, and use it to explain, not to write the assignment. Turn on the parental controls the tool offers. ### An AI companion or character app **Do not allow.** These are designed to feel like a relationship. Several have restricted minors after concerns about harm to children. There is no safe version for a child. ### An app that lets you “text Jesus” **Talk, then say no.** A model speaking as Jesus is not Jesus speaking. Use the moment to talk about prayer, and about how God actually speaks through Scripture and the church. ### A Bible app with an AI helper **Use together.** Choose one that shows the verse it relies on. Sit with a younger child. Teach an older one to open every reference and check it. ### Your child confided something painful to a chatbot **Step in now.** Thank them for telling you, listen, and connect them with people who can help. If there is any talk of self-harm, call or text 988 in the U.S. now. ### Youth group materials drafted with AI **Leader checks.** A leader reads every word, checks every verse, and never uploads students’ names or photos. The church AI policy template covers this. ## Five things to agree on at the kitchen table. Write these down together. Children keep rules they helped make, and the plan gives you something to return to when a new app appears. 1. Which AI tools we use, and which we do not (no companion or character apps). 2. Where we use them: in shared rooms, not behind a closed door at night. 3. What we never tell an AI: our full name, address, school, photos, or secrets. 4. What we check: every Bible verse and every fact that matters, before we believe it. 5. Who we talk to: if an AI says something confusing, scary, or about God, we bring it to a parent. What people are doing elsewhere: - [Common Sense Media research on teens and AI companions](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/talk-trust-and-trade-offs-how-and-why-teens-use-ai-companions) - [OpenAI: ChatGPT for Teens](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001421-chatgpt-for-teens) Controls and research help you see the risks. The plan is what turns them into a habit your family keeps. ## Common questions ### Should Christian kids use AI chatbots? Not companion or character chatbots. General assistants can help with homework under family rules, and Bible apps can help with study when they show their sources. The goal is a child who knows AI is a tool, checks what it says, and brings hard questions to people. ### At what age can a child use ChatGPT? OpenAI’s terms require users to be at least 13, with parental permission under 18. Age is a floor, not a readiness test. Many families wait longer, and use it together at first. ### Is it harmful for kids to ask AI about God? Asking is not the problem. Believing an answer without checking it, or treating the chatbot as a spiritual authority, is. Use their question as a chance to open the Bible together. ### What should I do if my teen has an AI girlfriend or boyfriend? Stay calm, ask questions, and listen for what the app is giving them: attention, comfort, or escape. Then remove the app and help them find those things in real relationships. Read “Is a romantic relationship with AI a sin?” together if they are old enough. ### Can parents read their teen’s ChatGPT conversations? Not through OpenAI’s parental controls. Parents can link accounts, set quiet hours, and get safety alerts in limited high-risk situations, but conversations stay private to the teen. That makes the conversation at home more important. ## Related guides - [Is talking to AI Jesus a sin?](/is-talking-to-ai-jesus-a-sin) — Why a chatbot in Christ’s voice is impersonation. - [Is a romantic relationship with AI a sin?](/is-ai-romance-a-sin) — For older teens, and for parents who need the words. - [Bible verse checker](/bible-verse-checker) — Teach kids to check what an AI quotes. - [Church AI policy template](/church-ai-policy) — Includes rules for children’s and youth ministry. - [Is Character AI a sin?](/is-character-ai-a-sin) — A Christian answer on roleplay and AI companions. - [Is using AI for homework a sin?](/is-using-ai-for-homework-a-sin) — Honest help versus handing in AI work as your own. - [Are AI Bible videos a sin?](/are-ai-bible-videos-a-sin) — If your child loves AI Bible videos: watch together, then read the story together. - [Is it a sin to use ChatGPT as a therapist?](/is-it-a-sin-to-use-chatgpt-as-a-therapist) — For teens and parents when a chatbot becomes the place feelings go. - [Is AI porn a sin?](/is-ai-porn-a-sin) — For parents: deepfake nudes, reporting help, and how to talk with teens. ## Sources and further reading - [Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/talk-trust-and-trade-offs-how-and-why-teens-use-ai-companions) — Common Sense Media. Nationally representative survey of 1,060 U.S. teens, April–May 2025. - [FTC launches inquiry into AI chatbots acting as companions](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/09/ftc-launches-inquiry-ai-chatbots-acting-companions) — Federal Trade Commission. September 2025 orders to seven companies about effects on children and teens. - [SB 243: Companion chatbots](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB243) — California Legislature. Signed October 2025, effective January 2026: disclosure, break reminders for minors, crisis protocols. - [Taking bold steps to keep teen users safe](https://blog.character.ai/u18-chat-announcement/) — Character.AI. Announcement ending open-ended chat for users under 18. - [ChatGPT for Teens](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001421-chatgpt-for-teens) — OpenAI. Teen experience and parental controls: linked accounts, quiet hours, safety notifications. - [At AI conference, religious leaders confront what technology could cost humanity](https://religionnews.com/2026/09/15/at-ai-conference-religious-leaders-confront-what-technology-could-cost-humanity/) — Religion News Service. September 2026 remarks by church leaders, including on children and AI. ## Our family AI plan (printable) Download: https://www.lumin.faith/downloads/family-ai-plan.md Version 1.0 · Free to print and change · No attribution required Seven questions to answer together, with room to write. The starting answers come from Lumin’s guide for parents. Change any of them, sign it together, and put it where everyone can see it. > These words I command you today must stay on your heart. Repeat them to your children again and again, and talk about them when you are sitting at home and when you are out on the road, when you lie down and when you rise. > — Deuteronomy 6:6–7 (Lumin Translation) Family: ____________________ · Agreed on: ____________ ### 1. Which AI tools we use, and where - In shared rooms, not behind a closed door. - To explain, not to write the assignment. School rules come first. - We check every Bible verse and every fact that matters. | Tool | What we use it for | Where | | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | | | ### 2. Where devices sleep at night - Somewhere shared, not behind a closed door at night. - If a tool offers quiet hours, we turn them on. Our devices sleep in: ______________________________ Screens off at: ______________________________ ### 3. What we never tell a chatbot - Our full name, address, school, photos, or secrets. - Passwords, and anything private about someone else. *(Lumin’s suggestion)* Also: ______________________________ ### 4. Our rule on AI companion or “friend” bots - We don’t use companion or character apps. They are designed to feel like a relationship. - A chatbot is not a friend, a secret confidant, or a romantic partner. If a friend shows us one, we: ______________________________ ### 5. If a bot says something scary, asks for secrets, or speaks as God or Jesus - Stop and bring it to a parent. - A bot that asks for secrets gets none. - A bot speaking as Jesus is not Jesus speaking. We open the Bible together. - Parents: thank them for telling you, and listen. - Any talk of self-harm: call or text 988 in the U.S. now. ### 6. Who we tell - A parent first, or another trusted person. A parent: ______________________________ Another adult we trust: ______________________________ At church: ______________________________ ### 7. Our weekly check-in question - “What did you talk to it about?” Our question: ______________________________ We ask it on: ______________________________ ### Signed ______________________ · ______________________ · ______________________ · ______________________ We read this plan again when a new app appears. ### What changes by age One plan for the whole table. What changes with age is how much a child does alone, and what you ask each week. #### Under 8 - No chatbot account of their own. OpenAI’s terms require users to be at least 13. - A Bible app with an AI helper is something you use together. Sit with them. - Tablets and phones sleep outside their bedroom. *(Lumin’s suggestion)* - Keep the plan to three things they can say back: ask a parent first, never tell a screen where we live, and tell us when something is scary. *(Lumin’s suggestion)* - Ask each week: “Did anything on a screen make you scared or confused?” *(Lumin’s suggestion)* #### 8–12 - Still under OpenAI’s minimum age of 13. Use AI together, in a shared room. - AI can explain a hard homework idea another way or quiz memory verses. It does not write the assignment. - Teach them to open every verse an AI quotes and check it. The Bible verse checker helps. - Name companion and character apps before a friend shows them one, and explain why your family says no. *(Lumin’s suggestion)* - Ask each week: “What did you ask an AI, and did it get anything wrong?” *(Lumin’s suggestion)* #### 13–17 - OpenAI’s terms allow 13 and up, with parental permission under 18. Age is a floor, not a readiness test. - If they use ChatGPT, link accounts and set quiet hours. You cannot read their conversations, so keep talking. - Still no companion or character apps. Character.AI ended open-ended chat for users under 18. - AI can help outline a paper they will write themselves. Handing in its work as theirs is not honest. - If a bot has become a comfort or a romance, stay calm, ask questions, and listen before you remove it. - Ask each week: “What did you talk to it about?” Lines marked Lumin’s suggestion are our own advice. Every other line comes from Lumin’s guide for parents and the sources it cites. Written by Andrew Kittridge, Founder of Lumin.