A newsletter for people committed to raising kind, competent children in the digital age.
Jingle Bells in June
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Hi Reader, A few months ago, my almost 4-year-old discovered she could ask Siri to play music on our home speaker. Within minutes, she'd figured out the most powerful hack available to a toddler: just be louder and more persistent than the adults. It is June. Bing Crosby played six times. But once I changed the settings and stopped laughing, something hit me: my toddler is already interacting with AI. And yours probably is too. They're not waiting until high school to encounter this stuff. They're already talking to Alexa, using AI filters on Snapchat, and tapping "magic" buttons in apps that turn scribbles into watercolor paintings. The question isn't whether your kids will use AI — it's whether they'll understand what they're actually using. A 2026 study in JAMA Network Open found that 1 in 3 US kids aged 4–17 already use generative AI apps — including 50% of teens and even 9% of kids ages 8–9. And a Pew Research survey found that most teens use AI chatbots, with about 3 in 10 doing so daily. They're in it. The question is whether we're in it with them. A conversation to try this week: Ages 0–5: "Do you know how Siri can talk to us? It's kind of like a robot game — it doesn't really think or feel. It just guesses what we want to hear. That's why we still ask a grown-up when we're not sure." Ages 5–10: Try Quick, Draw! — a free Google game where kids draw something and AI tries to guess it. This helps kids understand how large language models are built. When it gets it wrong, ask: Why do you think that happened? Ages 10–13: Ask ChatGPT and Google the same weird question (bonus points for "Can turtles breathe through their butts?"). Then look it up on a reliable source. Talk about which answer felt more trustworthy — and why. Ages 13+: Lead with your own honesty: "AI can write essays, make art, even fake someone's voice. That's kind of amazing and kind of unsettling. How do you think about using it?" The next time your kid is shouting at Siri, use it. "What do you think Siri actually is? Why does she play what you ask for? What would you do if she said something that wasn't true?" Remember, Human intelligence — curiosity, compassion, critical thinking — is still the most important thing we're raising. In partnership, Dr. Rupa P.S. Summer is a great time to work through Tech Ready with your tween. It's here when you're ready! |
Tech Positive Parenting
A newsletter for people committed to raising kind, competent children in the digital age.
Hi Reader, I read a poem on Substack a few months back called “Please Use AI” by Shawn Smucker, and it hasn’t let go of me. Weeks later, it still pops into my head almost daily. My husband’s a technophile, an early adopter who uses AI for everything. I use it daily too, but with more hesitation. I read him the poem expecting him to be as floored as I was. He wasn’t. He argued people have always resisted new technology, and the truth is somewhere in the middle. He’s not wrong. But what stays...
Hi Reader, Last month my extended family spent two weeks in Sicily celebrating my dad's 75th birthday. The food, the views, the weather — all incredible. But the real gift was something simpler: two uninterrupted weeks together. We spent hours driving between towns in a packed van, with all the cousins (ages 3–12) piled in with us. A handful of podcasts (Magical Storybook, Story Shed, Circle Round, But Why?) held all five rapt at once. It got me wondering: does listening "count" the same as...
Hi Reader, Growing up, the TV was on a lot at my house. Good Morning America hummed along every morning while my mom got us out the door. When my dad came home from work, the evening news turned on. I never thought twice about it because this was the case at most of my friends' houses too. At that time, the TV was one of the primary ways (alongside newspapers) that adults stayed connected to the world. My house now is almost the complete opposite. The TV is only on when someone is actively...