As teachers prepare to head back to school this year, one topic keeps surfacing in conversations: AI.
It’s no longer a future-facing trend, it’s already here in classrooms, reshaping how we think about assignments, lesson planning, and even student engagement. Yet, alongside the excitement comes a set of legitimate concerns:
- Which tools are safe to use with students?
- How should they be used?
- Do schools have clear AI use policies?
- Are there official resources or training materials to guide us?
These are pressing questions, especially because we can’t just move forward “as usual” after the seismic shift AI has brought to education. One area that deserves particular attention is age limits and data policies.
Why Age and Data Policies Matter
Before introducing any AI tool into your classroom, you need to be clear on two things:
- The legal age requirement: many platforms set strict age limits, and ignoring them can expose both teachers and students to compliance risks.
- User data policies: does the tool use student inputs to further train its models? Or are their conversations and outputs protected?
Knowing these details helps you make informed, responsible decisions about which tools to integrate into instruction. More importantly, it’s part of practicing AI literacy, modeling for students how to engage with emerging technologies in ethical and transparent ways.
Examples from Popular Tools
- ChatGPT: Available for students as young as 13, but only with parent or legal guardian permission. By default, user inputs may be used to train the model unless you opt out.
- Gemini: Age requirement is 13. User data can be used in training, though users retain more control over their data compared to other platforms.
- Claude: Stricter at 18. User inputs are not used for training unless explicit permission is given.
- Copilot: Available from 18 (or younger with guardian permission). Microsoft states that user inputs are protected under commercial data protection policies, meaning they are not reused for training in the same way as open consumer products.
- Perplexity AI: Like ChatGPT, it allows use from 13 with guardian permission. Data may be used for training unless the user opts out.
- Poe: Available from age 13, but flips the default, user inputs are not used unless the student actively opts in.
- Midjourney: Requires users to be 13. Inputs and outputs are not used to train models.
- GrammarlyGO: In the U.S., the age limit is 13 with parental consent, while it rises to 16 outside the U.S. Inputs and outputs may be used for model training.
- Scholarcy: Available from 13. Does not use user inputs or outputs for model training.
- Wordtune: Age requirement is 18 (or 13 with guardian permission). Inputs and outputs may be used for training.
Why This Matters for Teachers
Each of these examples illustrates that not all AI tools follow the same policies. Some protect user data by default; others require an opt-out or even an opt-in. Likewise, age requirements vary from 13 to 18, and in some cases change depending on whether students have guardian consent.
For teachers, this means we can’t just assume “if it’s popular, it’s safe.” Doing your homework on age and data policies is just as important as knowing how to use the tool in a lesson.
Related: AI Classroom Policy Guide for Teachers
A Helpful Resource
The National Center for AI maintains an updated list of terms and conditions for generative AI tools. This is where the information in the poster above comes from, and it’s a resource I highly recommend exploring if you want to go deeper.
By familiarizing yourself with these policies and by teaching students to ask the same critical questions you’re not only protecting them but also equipping them with the mindset to engage responsibly with AI in all areas of their lives.
The post AI Tools & Chatbots: Age Limits and Data Policies Every Teacher Should Know appeared first on Educators Technology.
