YOUR CHILD IS PROBABLY ALREADY USING AI. NOW WHAT?

According to Pew Research, 64% of American teenagers have used AI chatbots like ChatGPT. Nearly a third use them daily. Some use AI for homework. Some use it for emotional support. Some have developed relationships with AI companions that worry the adults in their lives.

If you're caught between alarm and hype-unsure whether AI is a miracle tutor or an existential threat to your child's development-this book is for you.

The Thoughtful Parent's Guide to AI is a comprehensive, balanced guide to navigating this new territory. At 17,000 words across 14 chapters, it gives you what you need to think it through for yourself-not a set of rules to follow blindly.

Part One: Understanding What's Happening What AI actually is-and what it can't do, despite appearances. What your kids are already doing with these tools. The concerns that keep parents up at night, examined honestly.

Part Two: The Hard Questions Is my kid cheating? What about their brain development? Safety and mental health risks. The equity question-who has access and what it means. No easy answers, but the information you need to find your own.

Part Three: Practical Navigation Age-appropriate approaches from elementary through high school. Setting up your household. The conversations that actually work. How to coordinate with schools.

Part Four: Looking Forward Preparing kids for an AI world. Staying sane as a parent when the landscape keeps shifting. What we still don't know-and why that's okay.

This isn't a moral panic. It isn't a tech-utopian fantasy. It's a clear-eyed guide that respects your intelligence, acknowledges uncertainty, and trusts you to make decisions for your own family.

Includes: quick-reference guides, sample family agreements, conversation starters by age, and curated resources.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Collins writes practical guides to emerging technology for people who don't have time for hype. He reads widely, tests thoroughly, and translates what he learns into clear, actionable guidance-delivered honestly and without an agenda.