It didn’t take much time for a company to come up with a kid-safe AI Chat Bot: Pinwheel, the company that also makes smartphones for kids, has launched PinwheelGPT in partnership with ChatGPT. The child-safe AI chat app includes parental monitoring and only generates age-appropriate responses.
The PinWheelGPT app is available on any device, including, of course, Pinwheel phones, through an iOS or Google mobile app. It can also be accessed via mobile or desktop browser. It’s designed for kids aged 7-12 to search for educational content that won’t include complex or advanced vocabulary, explicit content, links, or even images. Parents, meanwhile, can remotely view their child’s chats, including ones they have deleted, to learn what their young ones are curious to learn about. They can also help clarify or correct certain responses, and use the chat history to engage in conversation.
“With PinwheelGPT we’ve created a fun and educational way for today’s kids to get in on the exciting power and potential of ChatGPT and accessing information on the internet but with safe, age-appropriate guardrails,” explains Pinwheel CEO and Founder Dane Witbeck. “Not only can kids participate in the AI tech that’s quickly transforming our world, but parents can be actively engaged in the conversation by viewing – and stepping in when or where it feels right – to provide guidance or clarification. We believe kids should be part of the AI revolution by learning how to use the technology responsibly and our app helps them do that.”
Pinwheel cites Common Sense Media data that suggests 42% of kids have a phone by age 10, and by age 12, that number climbs to 71%. In addition, curiosity and experimentation with AI chatbots among school age children is skyrocketing, with a recent study (cited by Common Sense Media) showing 58% of kids age 12-18 have already used ChatGPT compared to only 30% of parents who say they have used it.
“It’s no surprise that teens have been some of the earliest adopters of generative AI technology, given all the ways it can be used in school and the fact we are raising a generation of digital natives,” adds Witbeck. “We can only expect younger and younger kids to use AI as they have access to phones at an earlier age than ever. That’s why it’s important for parents to be part of their exploration process from the start.”
PinwheelGPT isn’t entirely free, however, so kids can’t go wild asking about the history of poop or framing as many questions as possible to get the silliest results (because, let’s face it, this is likely what kids these ages will most often be using it to do). Kids only get up to 20 chat conversations for free. A premium version offering unlimited responses is $20/mo. or $80/yr.
The question is: why not just search the internet like old fogies, with parental filters in place? Pinwheel’s benefit is that there isn’t all the extraneous information you’d typically get with a standard search results page, nor any advertising, inappropriate links or images, and insufficient or incorrect results (though this isn’t guaranteed). It’s also more conversational, one of the big selling points for chat bots. Even so, better yet, just ask your parents when you have a pressing question. Pre-teen kids, and even older kids, should be able to get answers to their most pressing questions from their parents, a good book, or a verified educational resource online, not for $20/mo. from an algorithm. Talk to your kids, folks.
Nonetheless, for those who want to try it out, PinwheelGPT is available for free download at the Google Play store and Apple App store.