Teaching Kids to See Through the Algorithm
By Dennis D. McDonald, Ph.D.
As AI becomes embedded in everything from homework tools to entertainment feeds, protecting children from digital manipulation is getting harder. Parents and educators must go beyond “screen time” debates and help kids understand how AI-generated content is created, who makes it, and why. This piece argues that hands-on media creation—writing, recording, and experimenting with AI tools—is the best way to build awareness, skepticism, and resilience.
I’m a frequent user of AI tools like ChatGPT, so I pay close attention to the ongoing debates about what AI will do to us. As these tools become more varied and sophisticated, it’s clear they’ll have both positive and negative impacts across research, education, employment, and entertainment.
My view is that we must manage how we use AI. Like any rapidly developing technology, its effects will be both good and bad. Control will be complex, and there will be bumps—some major, some minor—along the way. We can also expect surprises, along with calls for new laws, regulations, moratoriums, and outright bans.
While I’ve been extremely pleased with how I’ve used AI tools personally and professionally, I’m no cheerleader for unfettered access. Rules and guidelines are necessary. Their effectiveness, though, will depend on how smart we are—and how willing we are to resist deception and political posturing.
There’s no doubt that jobs will be affected. Some workers will benefit; others will be hurt—blue-collar and white-collar alike. My attitude is simple: get on the train or get out of the way if you want to maximize benefits and minimize harm to yourself and your family.
These thoughts aren’t unique. Anyone whose career has involved developing, managing, or using technology has likely had them. What concerns me more is our responsibility to those who aren’t as immersed in technology—especially our children.
How do we want AI to affect them? And can we actually control that influence, given how deeply AI is being woven into every part of their world?
These are difficult questions. Consider how complicated the issue of “At what age should children get their own smartphones?” already is. Now add to that the limited control parents have over the systems and content kids can access—and how easily AI tools can create or alter the content they experience.
It won’t be possible to “screen out” AI-generated material, nor should we try to block legitimate educational uses of AI. The real issue is preventing technology-enabled harm. That means everyone—parents, teachers, and children—must understand what they’re exposed to and how AI shapes that content.
Ultimately, kids and parents alike need to be educated media consumers. They should understand how media are created, by whom, and for what purpose. The best way to teach that is through hands-on experience: writing, recording audio, and creating videos and animations—all media that AI can now help produce or manipulate.
Children need to recognize that media can promote not just facts, but opinions and biases as well. Hands-on experience is the best way to help them learn how hard it can be to tell what’s real, what’s fake, and what’s being distorted.
Copyright © 2025 by Dennis D. McDonald
