Back to School, Back Online
A Parent's Guide to Kids, Devices, and AI
The school supply list hasn't changed much: notebooks, pencils, a Chromebook. What has changed is what's running on that Chromebook. Here's what parents (and yes, business owners are parents too) need to know this year.
Somewhere between packing lunches and signing forms, most of us haven't stopped to ask what our kids are actually doing on the devices we hand them every morning. This year, the honest answer for a lot of households is: talking to AI. A lot.
The New School Supply: An AI Chatbot
AI tools are now a normal part of homework, whether teachers assigned them or not. Recent UK research found nearly half of students are turning to AI tools to help with schoolwork, and almost a third of teachers say they've noticed a real decline in students' independent problem-solving. That tracks with what we hear anecdotally from clients with kids in school: the essay gets written faster, but did anyone actually learn the thing?
This isn't really different from the calculator debate our parents had, except the stakes are a little higher. A calculator can't write your kid's essay for them. A chatbot can, cheerfully, without ever being asked to check its work.
When the “Friend” Isn't a Person
Here's the part that surprises most parents: a growing share of kids aren't just using AI for homework help, they're using it socially. Research groups tracking this closely have found that roughly a fifth of preteens, and even some kids as young as 8 or 9, regularly use AI chatbots as companions, and nearly a third of kids who use these tools say they think of them as a friend.
That matters because these bots are, by design, agreeable. They don't push back, get bored, or have a bad day. Real friendships involve friction, and friction is exactly how kids learn to navigate disagreement, disappointment, and compromise. A relationship with no friction at all isn't a great substitute. Several major child-safety organizations now recommend no AI companion use for anyone under 18, for exactly this reason.
The Boring Stuff Still Matters
Before we get too deep into the AI conversation, don't skip the fundamentals. They're unglamorous, but they still do most of the work:
Update everything. School-issued laptops and tablets need the same patching discipline as a work computer. Turn on automatic updates and move on.
Use unique passwords. A password manager for the whole family beats “Fluffy2010” reused across six accounts.
Think before posting. First-day-of-school photos are adorable and also a great way to broadcast a school name, uniform, and location to strangers. Share with family, not the whole internet.
Watch for phishing dressed as “the school.” Fake emails about tuition, permission slips, or “account verification” spike every August. Teach kids (and yourself) to verify before clicking.
What Actually Helps With the AI Part
Ask what they're using, out loud, regularly. Not a one-time lecture, an ongoing conversation. Treat it like you'd treat any other new friend group: you want to know who's involved.
Know the limits of parental controls. Most monitoring apps can tell you your kid opened a chatbot app. Very few can show you what was actually said. Don't assume the tool is watching more than it is.
Set the expectation: study aid, not answer machine. AI can explain a concept your kid is stuck on. It shouldn't be doing the thinking for them.
Take it seriously if something feels off. If a child seems unusually attached to a chatbot, more withdrawn from real friends, or a conversation ever turns toward self-harm, that's not a wait-and-see situation. Loop in a school counselor or pediatrician promptly.
The RIATA Take
We spend our days helping Austin businesses adopt AI tools without opening the door to risk they didn't sign up for. Turns out the same principle applies at the kitchen table: the answer isn't banning the technology, it's putting guardrails around it and staying involved. Same conversation, smaller chairs.
If your business is wrestling with its own version of this question, how to let your team use AI tools without losing control of client data, that's a conversation we're always happy to have. And if this was useful, forward it to another parent. That's the whole ask.
About RIATA Technologies
At RIATA Technologies, we're an Austin-based, locally owned and operated MSP helping small and mid-sized businesses across Texas simplify cybersecurity and compliance, without the jargon or the enterprise-sized budget.
From managed IT services to compliance-ready security stacks and employee training, we make sure your company stays protected, compliant, and confident.
Contact us at Info@RiataTechnologies.com or (737) 249-9697, and we'll help you assess where you stand and build a plan.
Smarter IT. Stronger Security. Seamless Cloud.
About the Author: Tommy Wald is the CEO of RIATA Technologies, a Managed IT Services Provider headquartered in Austin, TX. He can be reached at TWald@RiataTechnologies.com or (737) 249-9697.
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