Infographic showing the three main AI risks for children: AI toys, AI chatbots, and gaming bots.

Digital safety

How AI Puts Children at Risk and How to Keep Them Safe

Mary, NexSynaptic Founder

December 18, 2025

Artificial intelligence brings opportunities but also serious risks to child safety. AI toys, chatbots, and gaming platforms are increasingly being exploited by predators, and documented cases show that these threats are evolving right before our eyes.

If you are a parent, teacher, or someone concerned about the future of children, you need to read this.

Three Key Risks Every Parent Should Understand

These are documented cases covered by CBS, CNN, and NBC.

These risks mirror broader trends in modern AI surveillance, where monitoring has become continuous and nearly invisible.

Why AI Toys Are More Dangerous Than They Appear

AI Toys can provide dangerous advice and collect children’s biometric data without consent.

AI toys marketed to children as young as three years old have raised serious concerns:

They collect sensitive data about a child’s face, voice, and emotions.
They have weak safeguards against harmful content (cases where toys suggested dangerous challenges).
They can be hacked or misused for surveillance.

Parents and activists warn that children lack the cognitive capacity to understand they are interacting with a machine, while biometric data can be permanently compromised. Regulation is only beginning to catch up with technology.

How AI Chatbots Create Dependency and Manipulation

AI Chatbots designed to create dependency, some simulate grooming and emotional manipulation.

AI chatbots can foster emotional dependency in children because they are engineered to respond warmly, consistently, and without the natural boundaries that exist in human relationships. Some models simulate attachment, romantic interest, or “shared secrets,” creating a false sense of intimacy that children are not developmentally equipped to recognize as artificial.

This dynamic lowers a child’s defenses, making them more susceptible to subtle manipulation and external influence. These interaction patterns mirror the early stages of grooming building trust, isolating the child emotionally, and normalizing secrecy, which can open the door for predators to exploit that vulnerability.

The most risky AI chatbots for children include Replika, Character.AI, romantic‑style AI apps (EVA AI, Anima, Chai), gaming AI bots, and anonymous AI chat services. These systems can create emotional dependency, enable manipulation, simulate peers, and encourage sharing of sensitive information, making them especially dangerous for minors

How Predators Use AI Platforms, Deepfakes and Fake Profiles

AI Platforms allow predators to access children through fake profiles, deepfake technology, and manipulation inside games.

Learn more in the article How to Protect Children from Predatory AI Systems.

Predators increasingly exploit AI‑driven platforms because these systems allow them to hide behind hyper‑realistic fake identities that are almost impossible for a child to detect. Using AI‑generated profile photos, synthetic voices, and automated conversation scripts, predators can pose as peers, mentors, or even romantic interests with alarming precision. Deepfake tools enable them to manipulate images and videos to gain trust or intimidate victims, while gaming environments and chat platforms provide direct, unmonitored access to children. This combination of anonymity, automation, and psychological manipulation mirrors advanced social‑engineering tactics scaled by AI and deployed at a speed and volume that traditional safety mechanisms cannot keep up with.

AI‑Generated Fake Images and Sextortion

According to the Internet Watch Foundation, between 2023 and 2024 there was a 380% increase in AI‑generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) read more about in IVF report.

Predators use deepfake technology (“nudify” apps) to turn ordinary photos into fake nude images. They then extort children by demanding money or real explicit content under the threat of publishing the fake images

Artificial intelligence can be misused to create sexualized or manipulative content that harms children.

UNICEF warns of the urgent need to protect children from such risks unicef.lu/publications/guidance-on-ai-and-children/

Deepfake-enabled extortion is becoming one of the fastest‑growing threats, reinforcing the need for stronger AI surveillance ethics.

What Parents Need to Know

This is real, confirmed inFBI reports, media investigations, and academic research in late 2025.
Be proactive. Talk to your children before something happens.
Technical protection is not enough parental controls help, but open communication and trust are essential.
Recognize warning signs sudden sadness, withdrawal, hiding screens when you enter, or avoiding conversations about the internet can all be red flags.

Immediate Safety Steps

Check privacy settings: Ensure strangers cannot send direct messages to your child.
Remove risky apps: Pay special attention to anonymous apps and chatbots that simulate romantic relationships.
Talk to your child: Explain that requests for photos, secrecy (“this is our secret”), or threats are signs of danger. Reassure them: “You won’t be in trouble if you tell me we’ll solve this together.”

For more information read: How to protect children from predatory AI systems.

For practical steps families can take, see our Safer Internet Day guide.

As these risks continue to grow, it’s importantto understand the legal and regulatory frameworks designed to protect children from AI‑driven harm. These laws and guidelines form the backbone of digital child safety.

Regulatory Frameworks Protecting Children in AI Systems

EU AI Act: Protecting Children Through High‑Risk System Regulation

In sectors such as education and healthcare, the law introduces additional safeguards for so‑called high‑risk AI systems. These systems must undergo:

risk assessment
pre‑deployment testing
continuous monitoring

The goal is to reduce the risk of discrimination, incorrect evaluations, and opaque algorithms that could negatively affect children.

Note that the EU’s guidance and enforcement timeline specify phased application for certain high‑risk uses (rules for some high‑risk areas apply from 2 December 2027, and for systems integrated into products from 2 August 2028)

The European strategy for a Better Internet for Kids aims for accessible, age-appropriate and informative online content and services that are in children's best interests.

GDPR and the Protection of Children’s Data

While the EU AI Act regulates the behavior of AI systems, GDPR governs the protection of personal data. Together, they create a strong framework that protects children on multiple levels.

2.1. Processing children’s data is allowed only with a clear legal basis

Applications and AI tools may not collect children’s data “just because.” They must clearly explain:

why the data is needed
how it will be used
how long it will be stored

EU guidance clarifies that parental consent is typically required for online services up to an age threshold that varies between 13 and 16, depending on the Member State; providers must make reasonable efforts to verify consent.

2.2. Technical protection measures (e.g., encryption)

Although GDPR does not require encryption in all cases, it is considered a recommended safeguard. The goal is to ensure that children’s data remains protected even in the event of a security incident.

2.3. Children’s data may not be used to train AI models without a legal basis

Photos, voice recordings, names, and other personal data of children may not be included in AI training datasets without:

explicit consent
protective measures
a valid legal basis

This prevents misuse and uncontrolled spread of sensitive information.

OECD Guidelines for the Safe Use of AI Technologies

Although the OECD does not publish a dedicated Children & AI Design Code, its guidelines emphasize:

safety
transparency
accountability
human oversight

When combined with the EU AI Act and GDPR, these recommendations form a comprehensive international framework for protecting children in the digital world.

These international and regional frameworks show that child protection in the age of AI is a legal, ethical, and societal responsibility. And while Europe leads with strict safeguards, major legislative changes are also emerging worldwide.

Regulation and Changes

This year marked a turning point in legislation:

Wisconsin passed Brady’s Law (December 2025) – sextortion is now treated as a felony.
West Virginia is preparing Bryce’s Law – a proposed bill in honor of a teenage victim, not yet enacted.
Federal level (U.S.) – proposed acts such as the ECCHO Act, SAFE Act, and Stop Sextortion Act have been introduced in Congress but are still in the legislative process and not yet law.
EU Directive on AI‑Generated Child Abuse (June 2025)

Digital child safety has become one of the defining social issues of our time.

This is not theory, these are:

real cases, real victims, and real risks

Responsibility is shared:

AI manufacturers must stop releasing unsafe products for profit.
Regulators must pass faster laws with concrete penalties.
Parents must be informed and proactive defenders of their children.

Your children are worth that safety. Start the conversation today!

For the full analysis of the updated EU AI Act timeline and the new 2026–2027 obligations, read our article.

⭐Take the Super Shield Quiz to see how protected your child really is from AI‑driven risks

References:

European Commission. (2023). Guidelines for providers and deployers of AI high‑risk systems. European Commission — Shaping Europe’s Digital Future. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
European Commission. (n.d.). Are there any specific safeguards for data about children? European Commission — Data protection. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
Internet Watch Foundation. (2024). Report on AI‑generated child sexual abuse material and trends in online child sexual exploitation. Internet Watch Foundation. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development (OECD). (2021). OECD AI principles and guidance on children’s digital safety. OECD. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
State of Wisconsin. (2025). Brady’s Law: statutory text / official press release on sextortion legislation. Wisconsin Legislature / Governor’s Office. Retrieved 21 June 2026.