A new way to check if an AI app is actually safe for your kid
Common Sense Media has launched a first-of-its-kind ratings system built specifically for AI products marketed to kids. The new system scores apps on three factors: safety, privacy, and responsible design — giving parents a single, independent rating to check before a child downloads or uses an AI app.
The reading-tutor app Ello is among the first AI products to earn a top score under the new system, offering a concrete example of what a well-built, kid-safe AI app looks like under independent review, rather than how it's described in an app store listing.
Why this rating didn't exist before
AI apps marketed to kids — tutors, chatbots, study helpers, companion apps — have multiplied quickly. Until now, there hasn't been a consistent, independent way for parents to compare them on anything beyond app store star ratings and marketing copy. That's a meaningful gap: an app's stated safety practices and its actual safety practices aren't always the same thing, and most parents have no practical way to check.
What the three categories actually measure
Safety — how the app is designed to protect kids from harmful or inappropriate content and interactions.
Privacy — how the app collects, stores, and uses a child's data.
Responsible design — whether the app is genuinely built with age-appropriate, kid-safe practices, evaluated independently rather than taken from the developer's own claims.
What this means for parents
Before downloading an AI app for your child, check whether it's been rated under this new system. A strong score across all three categories is a far more reliable signal than an app's marketing description or its general app store rating. As more AI apps get evaluated over time, this becomes a practical first stop before any AI app enters your child's routine.
What this means for teachers and schools
If you're considering recommending or requiring an AI tool for students, checking its Common Sense AI rating — where available — adds an independent layer of vetting beyond a vendor's own safety claims, which matters especially for any tool handling data from minors.
The bottom line
This is a new, evolving ratings system — not every AI app for kids has been evaluated yet — but it's the first consistent, independent benchmark of its kind. Ello's early top score is a useful reference point for what a genuinely well-designed, kid-safe AI app looks like, and a reminder to check the rating, not just the pitch, before your child starts using a new AI tool.
▶ Watch the 30-second video version: https://youtube.com/shorts/0AVtKKOkwKA
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