Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of children’s everyday lives.
For many children and young people, AI tools are already helping with homework, answering questions, sparking creativity and offering new ways to learn. As these technologies become more accessible, they will continue to shape how children seek information, solve problems and engage with the world around them.
Like every major technological shift before it, AI brings both opportunities and challenges.
At Child Helpline International, our role is not to decide whether AI is good or bad. Our role is to ask a different question:
What does this mean for children and young people, and how can we help ensure they remain safe, informed and supported?
That question has guided the development of our new AI Guidelines, created in collaboration with our child helpline members from around the world and expert partners working across child protection, digital safety and mental health.
These resources recognize a simple reality: children deserve clear, practical information about AI, and the adults and organizations who support them deserve practical guidance too.
Together, the guidelines have three aims:
- They help children and young people better understand AI, recognize some of its limitations and risks, and know when speaking to a trusted adult or a child helpline is the right choice.
- They support parents and caregivers in having informed conversations with children and young people about AI, helping them encourage safe, balanced and thoughtful use.
- And they provide child helplines with practical guidance as they consider how AI is influencing children’s experiences and how services can respond when AI becomes part of a child’s story.
Importantly, these guidelines are not about replacing human connection.
Children continue to need empathy, understanding and trusted relationships – qualities that technology cannot replicate. Child helplines remain places where children can speak to a human being who will listen without judgement and help them navigate difficult moments.
Nor do these guidelines attempt to answer every question surrounding AI or explore the many ways AI may support child helpline operations. Those conversations are continuing across our network and with our partners.
Instead, this publication reflects something Child Helpline International has always believed: that when the world changes, child protection must evolve alongside it.
No single organization has all the answers. That is why these guidelines have been developed collaboratively, bringing together the experience of our members and the expertise of partners committed to children’s rights and wellbeing.
Today we are pleased to share three companion resources:
- AI Guidelines for Child Helplines (Download here)
- AI Guidelines for Children and Young People (Download here)
- AI Guidelines for Parents and Caregivers (Download here)
I encourage everyone working with and for children to explore these resources, share them widely and adapt them for local communities where appropriate.
Artificial intelligence will continue to evolve. So too must our understanding of how children experience it.
By working together, we can help ensure that children navigate an AI-enabled world safely, confidently and with the support they need whenever they need it.
For Every Child, Through Every Channel.
Helen Mason
Executive Director
