A Grandparent's Guide to the AI Your Grandchildren Use

Your grandchildren live in a world where AI is just... there. They don't think of it as special or scary. It's woven into the apps they use, the games they play, and even the way they do homework. To them, it's as normal as television was to your generation.

That can make it hard to have a conversation about it. They might not even realise they're using AI, or they might assume you won't understand. This guide is here to bridge that gap, so you can ask good questions and understand what's going on.

Snapchat's "My AI"

Snapchat is one of the most popular apps among teenagers. In 2023, they added a chatbot called "My AI" that sits right in the app. Your grandchild can chat with it, ask it questions, and even get recommendations for places to eat or things to do.

It's powered by the same technology as ChatGPT, but it's built into an app used mainly by young people. The chatbot knows the user's location (if they've shared it with Snapchat) and can use this to give local suggestions.

What to ask your grandchild: "Have you chatted with that AI thing on Snapchat? What do you use it for?"

Worth knowing: there have been concerns about My AI giving inappropriate responses to young users. Snapchat has added safety filters, but it's not perfect. If your grandchild is under 13, Snapchat has age restrictions (though enforcement is patchy).

TikTok and the Algorithm

TikTok shows you short videos based on what its AI thinks you'll enjoy. The more you watch, the better it gets at predicting what will keep you scrolling. This is the "algorithm" people talk about.

For young people, TikTok's algorithm is remarkably good at figuring out their interests. It learns from what they watch, what they skip, and even how long they pause on a video. Within an hour of use, it's already personalising the feed.

Why this matters: The algorithm can create something called a "filter bubble," where the person only sees content that matches their existing interests and views. This can narrow their perspective without them realising it.

What to ask your grandchild: "What kind of videos does TikTok show you? Do you think it affects what you're interested in?"

You don't need to be critical about it. Just curious. They might have thought about this already. They might not have. Either way, it's a good conversation.

AI Homework Tools

This is a big one. Many students now use ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, or Microsoft Copilot to help with homework. Some use it well, asking it to explain concepts or check their working. Others use it to write entire essays, which schools are struggling to manage.

Common ways young people use AI for schoolwork:

• Getting explanations of topics they don't understand
• Generating practice questions for revision
• Brainstorming ideas for essays before writing them
• Translating text for language homework
• Having it write work they then submit as their own (this is the problematic one)

Schools have different policies on this. Some ban it outright. Others encourage students to use it as a study aid but not to submit AI-written work. It's a bit of a grey area that everyone's still working out.

What to ask your grandchild: "Do your teachers let you use ChatGPT? How do you use it for school stuff?"

AI in Gaming

If your grandchild plays video games (and statistically, they almost certainly do), AI is a huge part of that experience. But it's different from the AI you hear about in the news.

In games, AI controls the characters that aren't played by humans. The enemies that react to your strategy. The companions that follow you around. The difficulty level that adjusts based on how well you're playing.

Newer games are starting to use more advanced AI. Some games now have characters you can have open-ended conversations with, similar to chatting with ChatGPT but inside a game world.

Gaming AI isn't something to worry about. It's been around for decades. But it's worth understanding because it shapes how young people think about AI. To them, AI is something creative and fun, not just a business tool.

AI Image Generators

Apps like DALL-E, Midjourney, and various filters on Instagram and Snapchat let young people create images using AI. Type a description and the AI generates a picture. Or upload a selfie and it transforms you into a cartoon character, a Renaissance painting, or a superhero.

Most of this is harmless fun. But it's worth being aware that the same technology can create convincing fake images of real people. Younger users generally understand this, but it's still worth a conversation about being critical of images they see online.

What to ask your grandchild: "Can you show me those AI picture things? I'd like to see what they do."

Asking them to show you is brilliant because it puts them in the role of expert, which teenagers love. And you get to see it firsthand instead of just reading about it.

Voice Assistants

Siri on iPhones, Google Assistant on Android, and Alexa on Echo devices are all AI-powered. Your grandchildren probably use these without thinking twice about it. "Hey Siri, set a timer for 10 minutes." That's AI.

These voice assistants are getting smarter. Apple has been integrating more advanced AI into Siri, and Google's assistant can now have more natural conversations. Young people use them for everything from homework questions to controlling music to setting reminders.

How to Have the Conversation

The best approach is curiosity, not concern. If you start with "I'm worried about AI," most young people will switch off. If you start with "Show me what you're doing," they'll usually be happy to explain.

Some conversation starters that work:

• "I've been reading about AI. What apps do you use that have AI in them?"
• "Can you show me how ChatGPT works?"
• "Do you think AI is going to change things by the time you're my age?"
• "What's the coolest thing you've done with AI?"

You don't need to understand everything. You just need to show interest. That opens the door to conversations about safety, critical thinking, and how to use technology wisely, without it feeling like a lecture.

Things Worth Mentioning to Them

Once you've got the conversation flowing, there are a few things worth raising gently:

• Don't share personal details with AI chatbots (same advice as for adults)
• Not everything AI creates is true or accurate
• Using AI to do your homework for you isn't the same as learning
• Images and videos online might be AI-generated, so stay sceptical

They may already know all of this. But hearing it from a grandparent who's made the effort to understand carries more weight than you might think.

If you want to try some of these tools yourself, our beginner's guide to ChatGPT is a good place to start. And for more about staying safe, visit our safety guide.