Ep. 281: Keeping Kids Safe in the Age of AI

Parenting Great Kids with Dr. Meg Meeker

Dr. Meg Meeker

Kids & Family, Education, Parenting, Self-improvement

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 24 June 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Dr. Meg Meeker welcomes Leslie Tyler, Director of Parent Education at Pinwheel and a champion for Children’s Digital Wellness, to unpack the risks and opportunities AI brings into our children’s lives. In this episode, we explore: Why children are early adopters of AI—and what parents need to know. The double-edged sword of AI as both a learning tool and a potential digital crutch. Key risks for kids using AI, from misinformation to emotional dependence. The role of parents in guiding safe AI usage and encouraging critical thinking. Pinwheel GPT and other tools designed with kids’ safety in mind. 🎉 Join Our New Parenting Community — FREE! Get access to webinars, mini-courses, exclusive content, a private forum to connect with other parents, and so much more. Start parenting with more confidence and real support: 👉⁠ ⁠meekerparenting.com⁠ Our Guest: Leslie Tyler is the Director of Parent Education at Pinwheel and a leading voice in children’s digital wellness. A mom of two teens and an expert in ed-tech and online safety, she collaborates with researchers at the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital to help parents raise tech-smart kids in a screen-heavy world. Sponsored by: Hungryroot – 40% off + a free item in every box at⁠ ⁠hungryroot.com/drmeg⁠⁠ (code DRMEG) KiwiCo – $15 off your Summer Adventure Series at⁠ ⁠kiwico.com/DRMEG⁠⁠ Summer Bridge Workbooks with IXL – Keep your kids learning and loving it this summer at⁠ ⁠summerbrains.com/DRMEG⁠⁠. Rula connects you with licensed therapists for as little as $15/session using insurance—visit rula.com/drmeg to get started. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	On today's episode of Parenting Great Kids.
0:04.3	AI isn't just coming.
0:06.2	It is here.
0:07.9	From classrooms to cell phones, kids are using tools like chat, GPT every day, often before their parents even know it.
0:17.1	But you need to be aware of what they're using.
0:20.6	Just like, you know, the video games that they're playing, the Discord servers that they're in.
0:25.1	You know, you just need to be aware of what they're doing.
0:30.4	This is Parenting Great Kids with Dr. Meg Meeker.
0:34.1	How can we make sure our kids are using AI safely and in ways that actually help them learn and grow?
0:43.1	Well, today we have Leslie Tyler. She's the director of parent education at Penwheel and a leading voice in children's digital wellness.
0:52.9	Thanks for joining me today, Leslie. Oh, thanks,
0:56.1	Dr. Meg. It's really great to be with you today. I don't know much about technology and AI.
1:02.6	I do use chat GPT. But it was really remarkable to me to learn that there's this big disconnect.
1:10.5	58% of teenagers have used
1:12.7	chat GPT, but only about a third of parents out there. So what's the gap? How can parents
1:20.7	get up the speed on AI tools and why are we lagging behind our kids? That's a great question.
1:27.7	I think just as you said, you know, in the last couple of years, AI, especially chat TPT,
1:32.8	but there's other AI models too, has really exploded on the scene.
1:36.7	And everybody from large companies to parents are trying to figure out how do we use it and, you know, and, uh, and what
1:45.7	does it mean? And of course, you know, as many new technologies come, kids are early adopters.
1:52.0	They, you know, get in and play with stuff more than parents do. Even with parents or adults
1:57.8	tend to need a reason to use something. And kids don't. They're like,
	...

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