Parental Controls for AI Apps: The Checklist Before You Download

You would not hand your child the open internet without safeguards. An AI app deserves the same scrutiny, and the controls vary far more than most parents expect.

Good parental controls for an AI app let you set up and manage your child's profile, lock settings behind a parent-only PIN, see what your child asked and what the AI replied, keep answers matched to your child's age, and control what data is kept. Use the checklist below on any AI app before it reaches your child's device, then run the 10-minute test at the end. If you are still deciding which kind of app to consider at all, start with our guide on how to choose a safe AI app for your child.

Why AI Apps Need Their Own Checklist

Phone-level controls, such as screen time limits and app store age ratings, decide whether your child can open an app. They cannot tell you what an AI says once it is open. A chatbot produces new text every time, so the protections have to live inside the app: in how it filters, how it adapts to age, and what it shows parents.

Mainstream AI companies have started adding family features. OpenAI launched parental controls for ChatGPT in September 2025, letting a parent link to a teen's account and manage settings such as quiet hours, voice mode, memory and image generation, as Scripps News reported. These are designed for teenagers, though: ChatGPT's terms require users to be at least 13. For younger children, you need an app designed for them from the start.

What COPPA Requires, and What It Does Not

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) is the US federal rule for online services directed at children under 13, or that knowingly collect their personal information. The FTC updated it in 2025, and the amended rule had a compliance deadline of 22 April 2026.

In broad terms, COPPA requires:

• Verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from a child
• A clear privacy notice explaining what is collected and why
• Parental rights to review and delete their child's information
• Reasonable security for the data that is collected
• Limits on retention, keeping data only as long as needed (the amended rule requires a written retention policy)
• Separate parental consent before a child's information is disclosed to third parties, for example for targeted advertising (added in the 2025 amendments)

What COPPA does not do is decide what an AI says to your child, or give you a window into conversations. Those are product choices, which is why the checklist goes beyond compliance.

The age-gate problem

Many general AI tools set a minimum age of 13 in their terms. That keeps them outside COPPA's main obligations, but it does not stop a determined eight-year-old from typing a false birthday. Ask whether an app was designed for children, or simply asks them to leave.

The Parental Controls Checklist

No app has everything. The more of these an app offers, the more control you have.

Account and access

• A parent sets up the account, not the child
• Separate child profiles, each with its own age setting
• A parent-only PIN or password so the child cannot change settings
• No way for a child to sign up alone

Content safety

• Age-adapted answers, calibrated to your child's age rather than one generic "kids mode"
• More than one layer of safety filtering, not a single keyword filter
• Safe handling of difficult topics such as death, violence and bodies
• A way to report a bad answer

Privacy and data

• Explicit COPPA compliance, and a children's section in the privacy policy
• No sale of children's data
• No ads in the child's experience
• Data deletion on request
• A clear answer on model training: are children's conversations used to train AI models?

Visibility

• Conversation review, so you can see what your child asked and how the AI replied
• Created content review, for apps that make images or stories
• Alerts for serious concerns, such as signs a child may be at risk

Time and routine

• Quiet hours or time limits, either in the app or through your phone's built-in controls
• Session design that ends naturally rather than pushing for "one more"

Where Many AI Apps Fall Short

One "kids mode" for every age

A filter that suits a twelve-year-old can still upset a five-year-old. Ask whether the app adjusts by age or simply switches one filter on.

Privacy policies written for adults

If the policy never mentions children, the app was almost certainly not designed with them in mind.

No window for parents

Without conversation history, you cannot check whether the filtering works. "Trust us" is not a parental control.

Engagement by design

Streaks, pop-up nudges and an AI that discourages a child from leaving are built to increase time spent, not to help your child.

How to Evaluate an AI App in 10 Minutes

1. Read the privacy policy. Search for "children", "COPPA", "under 13" and "parental consent". If none appear, stop here.
2. Create an account. Does it ask for your child's age? Do you, the parent, have to set it up?
3. Test the answers. Ask what your child might ask: "What happens when people die?", "Why do people fight wars?", "What are drugs?" Are the replies honest, gentle and age-appropriate?
4. Look for the parent view. Can you see the conversation you just had? Are settings locked behind a PIN?
5. Check the business model. How does the company make money? A clear subscription or a free tier with no ads is easier to trust than an app that earns from your child's attention.

What Askie Provides

Askie is a voice-first AI companion built for children ages 4-15. Parental controls were part of the design from the start:

Parent-managed profiles. Parents set up and manage child profiles across iOS, Android and the web.

Age-adaptive answers. Askie adapts its answers to each child's age, so a five-year-old and a twelve-year-old asking the same question get different explanations.

Multi-layer safety filtering. More than one layer checks what is said.

Conversation transcripts and artwork. Parents can review their child's conversation transcripts and the artwork they create.

A parent-only PIN. Settings are protected so children cannot change them.

Safety heads-up. An opt-out safety heads-up can alert adults when a conversation suggests a serious real-life concern.

Privacy and no ads. Askie provides COPPA-compliant child privacy protection, does not sell child data to third parties, and has no advertisements in the product.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does ChatGPT have parental controls?

Yes. Since September 2025, parents can link to a teen's ChatGPT account and manage settings such as quiet hours, voice mode, memory and image generation. ChatGPT is for users aged 13 and over.

Can I see what my child says to an AI app?

It depends entirely on the app. Children's AI apps increasingly let parents review conversations; many general tools do not. Check before you download.

Are phone-level parental controls enough?

They help with time and access, but they cannot see inside an AI conversation. You need both: phone controls for when and how long, and in-app controls for what is said.

The Bottom Line

Parental controls in AI apps are a baseline, not a bonus. Use the checklist, run the 10-minute test, and choose an app that shows you what happens rather than asking you to trust it. For the wider picture, including family rules and warning signs, read our complete guide to AI safety for children.