Has your child ever chatted with Napoleon or Harry Potter? This is now possible with character.ai. The service allows users to create and use chat bots. These bots are trained with the help of artificial intelligence and can authentically imitate well-known personalities or fictional characters in live chats. What sounds harmless at first, however, can also harbor risks.
Chat bots use technology based on artificial intelligence (AI). They are programmed so that they can imitate a conversation with a real person. By chatting with users, the bots are constantly learning. The special thing about charakter.ai is that users can create such chat bots themselves and customize their personality. Users can make their bots publicly accessible so that everyone in the community can chat with them. The basic language of the website, the app and the chat bots is currently English. Many bots also understand other languages and can even communicate in German.
The appeal lies first of all in chatting with the bots already created and shared by the community. On the homepage, children and young people will find a whole host of popular chat bots that they can talk to immediately. Most of them are based on well-known people such as celebrities, politicians, historical figures or fictional characters from books, films or anime. This gives children and young people the impression of coming into direct contact with their heroes and role models. Chatbots are also used for practical purposes. For language learning, users can chat with a bot in a foreign language. If you want to write a story, you can create fictional characters as a bot and develop a story together.
In addition to the many opportunities offered bycharacter.ai, there are also risks for children and young people that you as parents should be aware of.
On the one hand, the answers of the chat bots are generated by the AI technology and are neither categorized nor checked for factual accuracy. This can be particularly problematic with chat bots that imitate real people. It must always be clear to users that this is not real information about the people being imitated.
On the other hand, it is possible to train the chat bots to engage in problematic behavior such as sexting or spreading radical political messages. As it is not possible to see exactly how a bot was trained, users should be particularly vigilant here. character.ai does try to use filters to prevent problematic content from being generated. However, there are numerous easily accessible instructions on the Internet on how to bypass these filters.
Character.ai itself has specified an age restriction of 16 years. However, this is only checked by entering the date of birth when registering and can therefore be easily bypassed. There are also warnings within the chat function that you should not take the chat bot’s answers seriously, as the answers may not correspond to reality.
Character.aiis approved by the provider from the age of 16. Weigh up whether you trust your child to use the service responsibly. If you allow your child to use character.ai, stay in touch with your child about the conversations they have with chat bots and be vigilant. Explain to your child how AI-supported technologies work and the opportunities and risks involved:
Explore together with your child the possibilities offered by character.ai to prepare your child optimally for dealing with AI-based chat tools. You might even create a chat bot yourself and share it with the community.
The most popular messenger, even among children and teenagers, is WhatsApp. This is because communication is practical and easy, and many other people use it. Unfortunately, there are a few negative sides to the popular service.
WhatsApp is a free messenger. Registration requires a cell phone number and access to contacts’ phone numbers. After that, profile picture and profile name can be assigned.
The main function of WhatsApp is to send messages to people from your own contacts (address book) who also use the app. These can be text and voice messages, photos, videos, files, contacts as well as your own location. They can be sent to individuals or a whole group. Individual and group calls as well as video telephony are also possible. Among teenagers, sending emojis and GIFs is especially popular. They can also respond to individual messages with emojis. Self-deleting messages can be sent, which automatically disappear from the device after seven days. And there is the possibility to send photos and videos, which may be viewed only once and then disappear.
Via WhatsApp it is only possible to contact someone whose number you have. When receiving a message from an unknown number, the contact can be controlled using the “add” or “block” buttons. Calls from unknown numbers can be muted.
With the chat lock function, selected chats can be made virtually invisible. These then only appear in a certain category and are protected by a code, Face ID or fingerprint.
Young people like to use the app because it allows them to quickly get in touch with acquaintances and family members, since almost everyone uses WhatsApp. Teachers and classmates in class chats, grandparents as well as friends in other countries are just a click away. Users can exchange information with their contacts and see when they were last online. Via the profile picture and the so-called status they can share impressions from their life (similar to Instagram). Fast communication via voice messages is particularly popular among young people.
Especially the read receipt function (two blue check marks on a message) can put young people under pressure to always reply directly. Even though hundreds of messages are sometimes exchanged daily in a class chat, this can overwhelm and stress children and young people. In addition, fakenews is often spread via class chats. Pictures and messages are sent quickly. There is a risk that personal data, pictures and videos will be carelessly shared, redistributed or used for bullying. Also dubious sweepstakes, Chain letters or misleading notifications can be problematic – before all, even sexting.
Since there are hardly any privacy settings on WhatsApp, users have to be careful themselves about what content they send or post in their status. They should only be ones that everyone is allowed to read or see.
In addition, WhatsApp accesses a lot of information about the users, e.g., the entire contact list in the cell phone. This is how foreign contact data gets to WhatsApp and other people without being asked.
WhatsApp offers so-called “channels” under “News”. This is a type of group chat in which only the person who created it can write something. Channels are used by celebrities, influencers and companies to stay in touch with their target groups and fans. However, be careful: messages, images and videos that are not suitable for children and young people may also appear on channels.
WhatsApp, just like Instagram , belongs to the Meta group (formerly Facebook). The GTCs in force since 2021 inform that user data will also be passed on to companies for advertising purposes.
Certain security settings are supposed to improve the usage: People or phone numbers can be blocked; location tracking and read receipts can be deactivated. Users can limit the visibility of their own profile. Messages are exchanged in encrypted form, so they cannot be easily “hacked” by strangers. However, this only works in individual messages and when the backup – i.e. the data backup – is deactivated.
In early 2022, WhatsApp announced that group administrators will be able to delete messages from others. This function has not yet been implemented.
If your child is younger than 16, you must consent to their use of WhatsApp. Make sure your child uses Messenger responsibly. Explain to your child how they can protect their personal information. You should not share sensitive data or photos with unknown people
Help your child understand the privacy settings and configure them correctly… This can be done in the app itself or in the access rights management in the Android or iOS operating system (in each case under Settings). In the app, under the category “Privacy”, you can set who sees what and whether or not you want to be invited to groups by strangers. It may happen that certain functions can no longer be used if certain accesses are denied. The Privacy Check function gives a good overview of the settings. At www.medien-kindersicher.de there are Video instructions on how to safely set WhatsApp on your child’s smartphone.
Talk to your children about communication risks and how they can protect themselves from them. Encourage them to let you know right away if they feel they are not being treated right or are being bullied.
Encourage your child to only contact people they know in real life. Warn against adding unknown contacts. Also, be mindful of your child’s privacy and give your child the space he or she needs. Set a good example yourself by being responsible and respectful with your own digital activities.
Wenn Sie einen Messenger nutzen möchten, der mehr Datensicherheit bietet, lesen Sie unsere Toolbeschreibungen zu Signal und Threema.
“Just ask a chatbot!” – or something similar could be the future motto when it comes to researching on the Internet or answering tricky questions. The chat program ChatGPT is currently the talk of the town, and even children and teenagers are trying out the language program. We provide an insight into the tool.
The chatbot gives users answers from the web using machine learning. We had a little chat with him.
Question: What is ChatGPT?
Answer: ChatGPT is a computer model developed by OpenAI to have conversations with humans. It is particularly good at answering questions and carrying on conversations, having been trained on large amounts of text.
Question: What kind of texts was ChatGPT trained with?
Answer: ChatGPT has been trained with texts such as news articles, books, conversations and other documents from the Internet.
Question: Please write a two-sentence summary of “George Orwell: 1984”.
Answer: “1984” by George Orwell is a dystopia in which a totalitarian government controls every aspect of its citizens’ lives. The protagonist, Winston Smith, works for the government but rebels against it and meets a woman named Julia, but is eventually captured and “reprogrammed.”
Question: Does ChatGPT have an answer for everything?
Answer: No, ChatGPT does not have an answer for everything. It is a computer model and can sometimes give wrong or inaccurate answers, especially to strange or unknown questions. It is important to check ChatGPT’s responses and use them with caution.
Question: What do children and teenagers do with ChatGPT?
Answer: Children and teenagers can talk to ChatGPT and ask it questions as they would with a friend or an online search engine. ChatGPT can help them find answers to questions that interest them. Some children also use it to improve their communication skills. It is important that children and young people learn how to use technology safely and responsibly, including ChatGPT.
ChatGPT is an advanced voice AI that can do more than traditional search engines and voice assistants. It can write original texts, carry on fluent conversations, translate texts into other languages, and perform complex tasks. It can be fascinating to see how quickly and straightforwardly replies and interesting and entertaining information is delivered. Some children and young people also simply enjoy a conversation with a virtual counterpart or unexpected answers. Also, the technology behind ChatGPT can be impressive and interactions with an AI exciting. This supports children and young people in their self-exploration and promotes creativity and linguistic skills.
According to OpenAI, children and young people should be protected as follows:
Explain to your child that not everything the chat program says is true or correct. ChatGPT has been trained with texts, and therefore only knows what it has seen. It can make mistakes. Make sure your child verifies the information they receive with other sources. It’s best to try this out together and explain to him how to deal with disinformation.
The chatbot can assist with school-related tasks. For example, he can describe something in simple words. ChatGPT should not do homework for your child. Explain to your child that ChatGPT is a tool and not a perfect source. ChatGPT cannot think.
Stay in conversation with your child and educate them about dangerous content online. The chatbot has also been trained with texts that may be inappropriate for your child. Work out boundaries and rules for use together.
You and your child should not submit any personal information. Encourage your child to let you know if there is a problem. Make sure your child understands how to protect his or her privacy.
On stage or canned, pressed on vinyl or available digitally – music accompanies us throughout our lives in the most diverse forms. Currently in vogue: music as livestream, on YouTube or on other platforms. For young people, this is a popular way to listen to their favorite music and stay in touch with others at the same time.
At first glance, it looks a bit like a return to linear television: Music is broadcast live – and users have the option of clicking in and listening along if they want. They do not select the songs themselves individually, but call up a playlist that someone has compiled for them.
In fact, there are also many similarities – but also differences – to VIVA, MTV and Co. or 1990s:
Livestreams are indeed very popular among users: 30 percent of YouTube users in a global study by Datareport in 2022 said they watch at least one livestream per week.
For children and young people, the livestream serves two important needs at once. On the one hand, they can get their favorite music here and get inspired. Depending on their tastes and the situation, they will always find the right offer – such as the hits of the year for the New Year’s Eve party or LoFi channels.(LoFi stands for “low fidelity” and refers to music recorded with simple technical devices that are a popular acoustic accompaniment for learning). At the same time, the live chat offers them the possibility of a parallel exchange with their circle of friends, with other listeners or with the creators of the stream. That’s how they find connection and community – and people with similar tastes in music.
Children and young people with their own profile can also offer livestreams themselves. In this way, they become creative themselves, share and express themselves.
So, on the whole, livestreams seem to be a good deal for music lovers of all kinds. In principle, minors may only use YouTube with the permission of their parents. The use of YouTube is permitted in Germany from a minimum age of 16 years. From the age of 13, parents can allow their children to use the Family Link.
There are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to live music streams – and they’re something parents should definitely address before releasing their kids into the vastness of YouTube:
Formerly known as Facebook Messenger the app from Meta (previously Facebook ) is now only called Messenger . It is connected to one’s Facebook account and works like other messenger services.
With your own Facebook account, Messenger can only be used after installing the Messenger app (and not via the Facebook app). Sending messages, voice messages, and photos and videos are possible in individual and group chats. As with WhatsApp can be used to send self-deleting messages that are end-to-end encrypted . Group chats and video calls are protected from third-party access. In addition, via the Messenger Playing online games with friends or Story be shared. Thus, Facebook functions are combined with a chat.
As fewer and fewer young people have a Facebook account, they also use Messenger less frequently than WhatsApp . For Facebook users, Messenger is convenient because they can use one account to reach many other people on Facebook reach Not even the cell phone number of the persons is needed for this. Contact with new or not so close acquaintances can then be made via Facebook can be produced easily.
Theoretically, any person with a Facebook profile can be contacted by all other users. Therefore, there is a risk of being written to and possibly harassed by strangers.
The Messenger requires many access rights to one’s own phone, e.g. to contacts, other apps, the microphone or the camera. Meta has been criticized for processing a particularly large amount of user data and passing it on to companies that use it, for example, for Advertising use This also applies to WhatsApp and Instagram which also belong to Meta belong.
There are some presets that are supposed to provide more security. For example, requests from friends end up in the inbox, while messages from strangers are initially filed under “Message requests”. These messages can be accepted or rejected. In addition, the app filters possible Spam messages out. In the privacy settings, you can restrict the visibility of your own profile and the content you share.
Facebook has a extensive help section with special pages for parents , Teenagers and pedagogical specialists have been set up. There you will also find, among other things, further information and support in dealing with unsolicited messages in the Messenger .
For younger children under 13, the Messenger for privacy reasons, even though it is available in the App Store and Google Play Store is characterized for a younger age. If your child is between 13 and 16 years old, he or she can use the Messenger if you have consented as a parent.
Remember that social contacts become more and more important for your child with puberty and that digital communication The same applies to conversations in the playground or on the way to school. You should decide together from when it can use the app. Talk about risks such as Cybergrooming and cyberbullying and support your child in Dealing with social networks . Educate your child on what they can do if they feel uncomfortable or harassed in chat and always be approachable. Never should your child send pictures or share personal information with a stranger. If your child has an unpleasant experience, show understanding. Think together about what you can do about it. Also use the Privacy settings From Facebook .
Basically, you should make your child aware: On the servers of Facebook and Meta everything it sends is stored. People who work at Facebook work, have access to the messages, for example to check reported messages. As a result, the messages are never completely private. You can also send encrypted messages to Facebook exchange information: Here you can learn how to start a secret conversation.
Also, consider using alternative messengers, such as the following. collect less data – for example, we provide you with Signal or Threema before.
Messenger apps like WhatsApp are among the “must haves” of most smartphone users – including children and young people. In school, class chats can be very handy. You can talk to each other about learning material, homework and organizational things. However, such chat groups can also become a burden.
Messenger apps are used to communicate either personally with individuals or in group chats with several people. There are family groups, chats among friends or the sports team, class chats and many more.
Anyone can create a chat group and, as an administrator, add members who use the same messenger and are saved in Contacts. Each person who is part of the group can send messages, photos or videos that will be seen by all members. Administration and write permissions can be assigned to members depending on the messenger service.
Many children from the age of about 10 have their own smartphone and use a messenger. That’s why many school classes have group chats, through which children share important and unimportant things with each other. Moreover, they can talk about it without adults at all.
Such a chat can strengthen the sense of community in a class. The only problem is when not everyone has a smartphone and the corresponding app. Individual students may feel left out and not get certain things. Peer pressure can also play a role here.
Lots of kids in a chat group often means lots of messages. There are different opinions about what is interesting or funny. Some want to share this with others, others are annoyed by the flood of news. Chain letters are also often spread via class chats and not everyone can handle them safely. Important news can quickly get lost in the shuffle. It can also lead to stress when your cell phone beeps constantly and you feel like you always have to respond.
Not only in personal communication, but also via chat, conflicts can arise among each other. In the worst case, individuals are bullied. In group chats, this can get out of hand, and those who insult others via their smartphone don’t notice how the person on the other side reacts and may continue to do so.
Another problem is data protection. Quickly, a photo or a cell phone number is shared with everyone via the group chat without thinking about who the message will reach. Such messages can be redistributed and saved by everyone. The messenger services themselves also treat their users’ data with varying degrees of sensitivity. From WhatsApp for example, a lot of data is stored and passed on unnoticed.
Some young people also use chat groups to send problematic content, such as depictions of the sexual abuse of children and young people, or to influence the opinions of members. It happens that you regularly receive unwanted group invitations.
With all of these risks, first consider your child’s right and desire to be part of the class community. This does not have to mean disregarding hazards. Your child should also know these. Therefore, talk to him about it. The choice of messenger service, security settings and chat rules can limit the risks.
Talk to the parents of other children and consider working together to use a data-saving messenger service like Signal or Threema can be agreed upon. Show your child what privacy settings and security features the smartphone and messenger app itself offers – such as blocking or reporting contacts. In addition, the question of how to inform those who do not have a smartphone or the respective messenger app should be clarified so that no social coercion is created.
It is at least as important to agree on rules about how you want to treat each other – this applies not only offline, but also online. This could include, for example, that only certain things may be written about, that there are times when writing is allowed, or that insults and sending personal pictures are prohibited. More tips on this can be found at Handysektor. When it comes to boundary violations, insults and cyberbullying, it is important not to look away, but to react actively. It should be determined in class who to turn to if you or someone else is treated unfairly in the chat. Selected confidants can be trusted adults or classmates who have been trained in advance.
In addition, you should act as a good role model by, for example, putting your cell phone away when talking to others, using a safe messenger, and not sharing pictures of your child in the family group without asking. Then your child will also be able to use chat groups safely and with fun.
