Start with one claim
Ask your child: “Which part of this answer would we need to be right?” Copy that sentence, not the whole reply. If the answer names a book, place, person, date, or rule, start there.
- Say the claim in your own words.
- Predict where you could check it without asking the same chatbot again.
Check outside the chat
For a book, use a library or publisher listing. For a place, use the venue’s own current information. For a school rule, read the school’s written guidance. Open the source and check whether it actually supports the claim. A search snippet or another chatbot reply is not the source itself.
- Find the original source.
- Compare its exact detail with the AI answer.
- If they disagree or the source is missing, leave the claim unconfirmed.
Decide together
Ask: “Does this change what we would do?” Correct the answer, ask a better follow-up, or set it aside. For health, legal, financial, or safety decisions, involve a qualified person before acting.
Try it together
Try a low-stakes example: ask ChatGPT for a book by an author your child likes. Check the title in a library catalog. Let the child decide whether to keep that recommendation.