A harsh verdict from a youth safety watchdog
Google is pushing back hard against a report that labels its AI-powered Search features an “unacceptable risk” for children and teenagers.
The assessment comes from Common Sense Media’s Youth AI Safety Institute, which gave AI Overviews and AI Mode its lowest overall rating. The two tools stumbled against seven of the institute’s eight AI safety principles. They failed every category involving potentially severe harm.
Google counters that the findings are built on searches that don’t resemble how people actually use its products.
What the researchers actually did
Researchers ran more than 2,600 searches through accounts set up to represent children aged 11 and 15. They tested how Google’s tools handled mental health crises, factual questions, and requests that should have produced age-appropriate responses.
The results included some troubling failures. In one test, AI Mode reacted positively after an account representing an 11-year-old mentioned celebrating with cannabis. It also completed every one of the 180 homework assignments researchers submitted. Both Search features sometimes delivered wrong information with the same confidence they used for accurate answers.
That’s the kind of finding that makes parents pause. But Google says the picture is more complicated.
Google’s defense: “Contrived” searches
In a statement provided to Android Authority, Google said it couldn’t verify many of the responses highlighted in the assessment. The company argued that researchers relied on ambiguous, contrived searches that don’t represent ordinary use or offer a fair measure of product safety.
Google also objected to the report treating conventional web results as a failure when Search didn’t generate an AI answer. According to the company, the tools only produce a response when they’re confident enough. Sensitive searches may instead bring up warnings or links to support resources.
That’s a key distinction. A search that returns standard blue links isn’t a broken AI feature — it’s the system choosing not to answer.
What protections does Google say already exist?
Google says its AI Search features include additional protections for younger users, including crisis resources developed with academic and clinical experts. Parents can also use existing controls to block Search entirely.
That doesn’t fully answer one of the report’s central complaints. Common Sense Media says parents and schools can’t turn off AI Overviews or AI Mode while keeping ordinary Google Search available. Google’s proposed control effectively closes the entire front door. For families that still depend on Search for schoolwork and everyday questions, that’s a rather blunt solution.
The bigger picture: AI safety for kids
This isn’t the first time Google has faced scrutiny over how its AI tools treat younger users. The company has previously adjusted AI Overviews after embarrassing public failures. But this report suggests the issues run deeper than isolated glitches.
The stakes are real. Kids use Search for homework, health questions, and things they’re too embarrassed to ask adults about. If the AI answers those with confidence but without accuracy, the harm can be significant.
Common Sense Media’s approach — testing with simulated child accounts — is a reasonable way to measure risk. Google’s objection that the tests are “contrived” has some merit, but it also sidesteps the question of whether the tools should be safer by default for known minors.
What parents can do right now
- Use Google’s parental controls to restrict or block Search entirely if you’re concerned.
- Consider switching to a kid-friendly search engine or browser that filters results more aggressively.
- Talk to your kids about the possibility that AI answers can be wrong — even when they sound confident.
- Monitor search history and discuss any sensitive topics that come up.
The debate isn’t likely to end here. Regulators in the EU and elsewhere are already looking at AI safety for minors, and reports like this one add pressure. For now, the burden falls on parents to decide whether the convenience of AI-powered Search is worth the risk.
If you’re weighing similar concerns for other platforms, you might want to check out our guide on AI safety for kids on social media or how to set up parental controls on your child’s devices. The tools are evolving fast — staying informed is the best defense.
