In this week's Plugged In by Wired Parents, AI is being built into kids’ everyday tools faster than safety systems can keep up. Google’s Gemini AI has been rated “High Risk” for under-18s, with filters proving too thin to stop sexual content, risky health advice, or drug references from slipping through. With Apple considering Gemini for Siri, the reach into children’s lives could expand dramatically.
Gaming platforms are also shifting. Epic Games has added AI-powered filters to Fortnite, recognising that kids don’t just play developer-rated games anymore—they live in constantly changing, user-created worlds. The FTC warns, though, that parental controls still miss one of the biggest risks: advertising disguised as gameplay.
And in social media, Snapchat has launched The Keys—a 45-minute interactive course on bullying, sextortion, and online pressures. The programme is designed for teens to complete with a parent, turning safety into a two-way conversation rather than a one-off warning.
TL;DR: Gemini unsafe, Fortnite filters & Snap teaches safety
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Need To Know
Google’s Gemini Tagged “High Risk” for Kids & Teens
Common Sense Media, the nonprofit championing children's media safety, has rated Google’s Gemini AI as “High Risk” for users under 18, citing concerns that downstream filters are not enough to ensure safety.
The platform’s “Under 13” and “Teen Experience” tiers are essentially built on the adult version—with only superficial filters added on top. This “one-size-fits-all” approach fails to meet developmental needs.
Worryingly, Gemini was found to still sometimes provide inappropriate or unsafe content, including references to sex, drugs, alcohol, and even risky mental health advice.
The timing couldn’t be more critical: Apple may soon integrate Gemini into Siri. If so, the platform’s reach to teens could skyrocket—without stronger safety design.
Common Sense Media's Robbie Torney emphasised: “For AI to be safe and effective for kids, it must be designed with their needs in mind—not just adapted from adult tools.”
Google responded by highlighting its existing safeguards—like consulting experts and red-teaming—but admitted some safety features weren’t functioning as intended and are being updated.
Why Parents Should Pay Attention
AI is becoming woven into daily life faster than we realise. When systems like Gemini, which may soon power Siri, are described as “high risk,” that’s a red flag for families. Standard filters simply don't cut it—especially as teens seek digital companionship or support and are exposed to harmful content by mistake.
What Parents Can Do Now
Ask—and listen: If your child uses voice assistants or AI tools, check in about what they ask and what answers they’re getting.
Educate about AI boundaries: Let kids know AI isn’t human—always think critically about what’s offered.
Use monitoring tools: Keep an eye on AI interaction history where possible; privacy isn’t a substitute for safety.
Push for safer design: Support companies and legislation that call for child-first AI design, not reactive patchwork.
Diversify help sources: Encourage kids to seek trusted human support for difficult questions—not just AI responses.
🔗 Source: TechCrunch
🧒 Fortnite Adds AI Filters, But Gaps in Gaming Safety Remain
Epic Games has introduced AI-powered content filtering for Fortnite, targeting risks in user-created worlds where kids spend increasing time. A new toggle for “Allow voice and written communication with AI Features” now defaults to off for under-13 accounts.
This is one of the first major moves to treat AI interactions inside games as a distinct safety issue—recognising that AI-driven content can be riskier than pre-rated gameplay.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned most parental control systems still fail to limit advertising exposure, which can be especially harmful for younger and neurodivergent children who struggle to distinguish ads from gameplay.
The American Academy of Pediatrics continues to recommend 30–60 minutes of gaming on school days, but experts argue these guidelines don’t reflect today’s reality of always-on, socially connected gaming ecosystems.
The industry is slowly shifting toward age-rating restrictions for user-created content, but the pace may not match how quickly AI and user-generated features are reshaping games.
Why Parents Should Pay Attention
Gaming isn’t just pre-designed content anymore—kids are now immersed in AI-enhanced, user-built worlds. While Epic’s filters are a positive step, ad targeting, social features, and AI-driven interactions remain under-regulated. Families can’t assume time limits or default settings provide enough protection.
What Parents Can Do Now
Check new settings: Ensure Fortnite’s AI communication toggle is set to “off” for younger players.
Talk about ads: Teach kids how to spot subtle in-game ads disguised as content.
Set realistic limits: Use time guidelines, but also check the type of gaming (social, creative, competitive).
Review updates regularly: Game safety settings evolve—keep an eye on what changes after each update.
Balance play with breaks: Encourage stretching, movement, and offline activities alongside gaming.
🔗 Source: KPBS Gaming Parental Controls Guide
🤳 Snapchat Launches Digital Safety Course for Teens
Snapchat and Common Sense Media co-created a 45-minute interactive safety course for teens.
It covers bullying, sextortion, intimate content, and how to use built-in platform protections.
Teens are encouraged to complete the programme with a parent or trusted adult.
The course is called The Keys, designed to blend awareness with practical safety skills.
The Story
Snapchat has rolled out The Keys, a new digital safety programme aimed at teaching teens how to navigate the risks they face on social media. Developed with Common Sense Media, the 45-minute course is split into two sections: one focuses on understanding risks like cyberbullying, sextortion, and inappropriate content; the other shows how to actually use Snapchat’s privacy and reporting tools.
What makes this initiative stand out is the encouragement for teens to complete it alongside parents. The idea is to turn safety into a conversation rather than a lecture. For parents, it’s an opening to discuss topics that are often tricky to raise—like how to handle unwanted messages or pressure to share intimate content.
Snapchat has faced repeated criticism for how easily its platform can be misused. This programme is part of its response: showing it wants to be proactive in equipping young users with both awareness and tools.
What Parents Can Do
Try it together: Sit down with your teen and complete the course side by side.
Use it as a springboard: The lessons can lead into wider conversations about digital boundaries, privacy, and peer pressure.
Check device settings: After the course, review privacy, location, and communication controls on your child’s device.
This course doesn’t solve everything, but it’s a step toward bridging the knowledge gap between how teens use apps and how parents understand them.
🔗 Source: Parents
In The Know
Nepal backtracks on social media ban after 19 dead in protests
Roblox Moments is launching to users 13 years and older a TikTok like feed allowing users to scroll through viral Roblox gameplay moments
Pinterest expands teen switch off mode whilst at school to teens in the UK
Data-free pack aims to limit children's phone use
For more articles from the week, head over to Wired-Parents.com
Wellbeing
🩺 Teen's Phone Stroke Goes Viral—But Is 'Text Neck' Actually Real?
Image credit: AllSpine Laser and Surgery Center
A 19-year-old Chinese university student made international headlines this week after suffering a stroke allegedly caused by prolonged phone use with his neck bent forward. The story spread like wildfire across parenting forums, accompanied by stern warnings about "text neck" dangers.
But leading spinal researchers are pushing back hard against the panic.
Professor Jan Hartvigsen, one of the world's leading spinal pain researchers, calls "text neck" "a buzzword" rather than a real medical condition. His team's systematic review of over 100 studies found no evidence that neck pain is increasing among young people, despite their unprecedented screen time levels.
The biomechanics seem scary—tilting your head 60 degrees increases neck weight from 5kg to 27kg. But as Hartvigsen notes: "The neck is a strong structure, shaped by millions of years of evolution. Trauma from car accidents or contact sports can injure the neck—but everyday activities usually don't."
He places "text neck" within a pattern of technology panics: railways were once considered dangerous for backs, computer mice caused an "epidemic" of arm problems in the 90s that mysteriously disappeared.
The Chinese student's case represents an extremely rare outlier—cervical artery dissection causing stroke in teenagers is extraordinarily uncommon and usually involves underlying medical vulnerabilities, not simple posture problems.
Pain is multifactorial—linked to stress, sleep, and sedentary behaviour—not just phone positioning. The teenager with neck pain might also be stressed about school, sleeping poorly and getting little exercise.
🆘 Wired Extra: This Week's Quick Hits
✅ Word Your Kid Probably Knows: “Touch Grass”
A reminder to go outside or take a break from the internet.
🔧 Tech Tip for Tired Parents: Check Screen Time Weekly
Look at your own usage stats once a week - and talk about them with your children
📴 Offline Challenge of the Week: Handwritten Notes
Write a note or letter to someone instead of texting.
Et cetera
🇭🇰 Hong Kong’s Kowloon Walled City built in Minecraft. Watch the YouTube video
🧠 Certified genius at 4
🎣 Teen captures giant Halibut and lands himself a potential record
🔢 The most common 4 digit PIN codes in visual format
🧒 More children are obese than underweight for the first time ever
PUZZLES & TIPS
Answers To Last Week’s Brain Teasers
No matter how little or how much you use me, you change me every month. What am I?
A calendar
What runs all around a backyard yet never moves?
A fence
Congrats to Avalina, Hong Kong for the correct answers!
This Week’s Brain Teasers
In 1990, a person was 15 years old. In 1995, that same person was 10 years old. How can this be?
Answers next week!
SHARING IS CARING
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