App safety check

Is Google Gemini OK for my child?

Google's AI assistant, increasingly built into Android phones, Search and school Google accounts, which makes it the AI many children meet without choosing it.

Minimum age

Under-13 only via Family Link

Younger children can use it only through a parent-managed Google account with protections applied.

Type

Official safety page

Google Family Link

What to actually watch for

It is woven into products children already use, so exposure is ambient rather than chosen.
Same confident-inaccuracy risk as all chatbots.
Teen memory of conversations raises privacy questions worth understanding.

The settings worth switching on

For under-13s, access only works through a Family Link managed account, which applies content protections automatically.
Review Gemini settings inside your child's Google account together.
On Android, Family Link controls which apps (including Gemini) are available at all.

Our honest take

The most controlled route into AI for a younger child, precisely because it only works through Family Link with parental management for under-13s. If your child is going to meet an AI assistant anyway, this is the one with a proper supervised mode. Our Family Link coverage in the Android guide pairs with this.

Frequently asked questions

Under-13s can only use it through a parent-managed Family Link account, which applies extra content protections. Teenagers can use it with their own Google account, with a teen-specific experience.

For under-13s, Gemini's Family Link requirement makes it the more controllable option, since access itself is parent-managed. For teenagers the two are broadly comparable, and the same rules apply: honest ages, and check important answers.

Increasingly yes, in age-appropriate forms controlled by the school's administrators. Ask the school what AI access is enabled and what their policy is; most now have one.

Go deeper

Android and Family Link guide AI, homework and school AI safety hub

Other ai apps parents ask about

Is Character.AI OK?

Minimum age: 18 for open-ended chat

Is ChatGPT OK?

Minimum age: 13 (parental consent 13 to 17)

Last reviewed: August 2026. Minimum ages and settings were checked against the platform's own published policies, and platforms change them often, so the official page linked above always has the latest.