Parents, We Cannot Sit This One Out

DISCOVERING AI: Igniting Human Potential
By Amy D. Love, Founder of DISCOVERING AI and of the Global FAMILY AI GAME PLAN initiative

AI is no longer a far-off concept. It is woven into children’s everyday experiences, appearing in school platforms, chatbots, smart devices, search results, games, apps, and even the recommendations that shape what they watch and read. This is not cause for panic. It is a call to presence.

Families have long used media plans to balance screen time, privacy, healthy sleep, advertising, and family connection. What has changed is that AI adds a new layer of complexity: it is no longer just about how much time children spend with technology, but what the technology is doing, what it is asking for, what it is teaching, and how it may shape trust, learning, attention, and relationships. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) continues to point families toward a Family Media Plan that focuses on shared boundaries, co-watching, privacy conversations, screen-free routines, and modeling healthy digital habits.

That guidance matters even more now that regulators are paying attention to AI chatbots that act like companions. The FTC opened an inquiry into consumer-facing AI chatbots and their impact on children and teens, reflecting growing concern about systems that can mimic human relationships and blur the line between tool and friend. For parents, that means the most important question is not just “Is this safe?” but “What relationship is this tool training my child to expect?”.

Many families have already completed the FAMILY AI GAME PLAN™, a simple, 10–15 minute tool that builds clarity, confidence, and shared expectations for AI use at home and school. It creates connection through values, keeps the family conversation going, and helps parents set age-appropriate boundaries as technology evolves. If you have not completed your plan yet, you can access it at

www.discoveringai.org anytime.

This tool anchors children in core values as technology changes and helps families stay aligned across home and school. In practice, that means setting expectations around where AI is okay to use, when it should be avoided, and what kinds of questions a child should bring back to a parent instead of trying to answer alone.

Summer break and camps

Summer break is here, which also means more freedom for kids to explore AI tools on their own. With parents still juggling work and routines, it becomes even more important to keep conversations open and update your FAMILY AI GAME PLAN™ as needed. The AAP’s current recommendations also reinforce shared device use, device-free meals, and screen-free bedrooms as simple ways to keep digital life from crowding out sleep, play, and family connection.

Our Virtual C.R.E.A.T.E. Camps help children grow critical thinking, creativity, AI literacy, and resilience this summer. Research and current parenting guidance both point to the same idea: kids do best when AI is used as a creative tool, not just a consumption tool, and when adults stay engaged enough to notice what it is reinforcing. June sessions are sold out. A few spaces remain for July and August. Register by June 21 to get 50% off, the best pricing of the summer.

Learn more and reserve your spot at www.Camps.DiscoveringAl.org

Family action step

Ask your child, “Where have you seen or used AI lately?” and review your FAMILY AI GAME PLAN™ together. Use the check-in to adjust boundaries or permissions as needed, especially around chatbots, school apps, and anything that asks for personal information or emotional sharing. Watch for Friday’s MindSpark to help your family rate AI tools, similar to how you rate movies and games; that fits well with the AAP’s emphasis on shared decision-making and age-appropriate media choices.

Your consistent involvement is the key to raising thoughtful, confident creators who thrive in the Age of AI. Looking for some family oriented summer reading? Check out DISCOVERING AI: A Parent’s Guide to Raising Future Ready Kids and RAISING ENTREPRENEURS: Preparing Kids for Success in the Age of AI. Both are available on Amazon.