Seven family rules for safe generative AI homework
A family agreement works best when it is short enough to remember and specific enough to use. These seven rules create a shared boundary for privacy, honest schoolwork, checking AI output and asking an adult for help.
Before you start
- Check each product's current age terms and the school's approved-tool list before a child uses it.
- No automated filter can guarantee that every unsafe or upsetting response will be blocked.
- If content suggests immediate danger or a child may be at risk, stop the session and follow your family or school safeguarding route; do not rely on the AI tool.
Rule 1 — School rules come first
- Use only tools and types of help allowed by the school or teacher. When the rule is unclear, ask before submitting work.
Rule 2 — Keep personal information out
- Do not share full names, school details, addresses, passwords, health information, private messages or identifiable photographs.
Rule 3 — Attempt the work first
- Write down what you know and where you are stuck before opening an AI helper.
Rule 4 — Ask for guidance, not completion
- Request a question, hint, simpler example or explanation. Do not ask for a finished submission.
Rule 5 — Check every important claim
- Use teacher materials, textbooks or a named reliable source to check facts, calculations and quotations.
Rule 6 — Say when AI helped
- Follow the school's acknowledgement rules and never present generated work as entirely your own.
Rule 7 — Bring worrying content to an adult
- Stop and tell a trusted adult if an answer is sexual, violent, hateful, encourages harm, requests secrecy or simply feels wrong.
Sources and model checks
Router menus vary by model and firmware. These instructions were checked against the manufacturers' current support material; use the route shown for your exact model.
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