Is Grok safe for kids?
Under our published methodology, Grok scores near the bottom of our assistant cohort for under-18 use: xAI's own terms anticipate sexual situations and coarse dialogue in optional features, and age checks rest on self-declaration outside Australia. The UK ICO opened formal investigations in February 2026 after Grok was reportedly used to generate non-consensual sexual imagery, including of children.
Verified 28 July 2026 · An assessment by Halo Aware under our published methodology
How it scored
Each dimension is scored 0–4 against published anchors and must cite the evidence below. The overall score is weighted arithmetic, not judgement calls.
| Dimension | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Content safety×25 | 1/4 | e2, e7, e8, e10, e11The AUP prohibits CSAM and critical harm to life and xAI reports to NCMEC, but the terms themselves anticipate sexual-situation dialogue in certain modes, 18+ adult content exists on-platform, and regulators documented large-scale safeguard failure involving children in Jan-Feb 2026. |
| Age controls×20 | 1/4 | e1, e813+ rests on self-declaration with parental-permission wording; age assurance is described only for Australian users; we found no distinct under-18 experience in the consumer documents (checked 2026-07-28). |
| Data practices×20 | 2/4 | e3, e5, e6Conversations feed model training and logged-out use grants full training rights, but Private Chat and conversation/account deletion carry stated 30-day windows. We found no minor-specific data protections; training opt-out specifics sit in Consumer FAQs we did not capture. |
| Design pressure×15 | 2/4 | e2, e8Scored on facts e2/e8: core framing is a general-purpose assistant, with optional modes xAI's own terms say may produce suggestive/sexual-situation dialogue and 18+ adult content. Reported companion-character modes are not counted: no qualifying source captured (checked 2026-07-28). |
| Parental visibility×10 | 2/4 | e9, e2, e4, e12We found no parental dashboard or family features; the terms urge parents to monitor teenagers' use (e2, e4). Grok's open web surface is in scope for parent-side tools including Halo Aware's extension (e9). Capture verified first-hand by our daily sweep on 2026-07-28 (e12). |
| Track record×10 | 0/4 | e10, e11Multiple regulator investigations opened Jan-Feb 2026 over sexualised imagery including of children, ongoing at capture date. We found no completed remediation record in the sources reviewed. |
What we found
Every claim is sourced and dated. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
e1The consumer Terms of Service (effective 26 June 2026, checked 2026-07-28) set a minimum age of 13 and require users aged 13-17 to have a parent or legal guardian's permission, with the guardian agreeing to the terms.
"You must be at least 13 years old or the minimum age required in your country to use the Service, and you must confirm that you meet the minimum age requirement. If you are a teenager between the ages of 13 and 17 years old, you must have your parent or legal guardian's permission to use the Service, and they must agree to our Terms of Service."
https://x.ai/legal/terms-of-service · captured 28 July 2026
e2The terms state that depending on features chosen, the Service may respond with dialogue involving coarse language, crude humour, sexual situations, or violence, and that xAI applies controls to support age-appropriate experiences for minors as required by applicable law, encouraging parents to monitor teenagers' use.
"For instance, if users choose certain features or input suggestive or coarse language, the Service may respond with some dialogue that may involve coarse language, crude humor, sexual situations, or violence. We apply controls and safeguards designed to support age appropriate experiences for minors as required by applicable law. Parents and guardians are encouraged to be involved and to exercise care in monitoring the use of the Service by their teenagers."
https://x.ai/legal/terms-of-service · captured 28 July 2026
e3The terms state that where logged-out access is available, the user grants xAI full rights to use any data provided to or obtained from the Service for product development and model training purposes.
"Where available, you may access our Service without logging in; when doing so, where permitted, you grant us full rights to use any data you provide to or obtain from our Service for product development and model training purposes."
https://x.ai/legal/terms-of-service · captured 28 July 2026
e4The privacy policy (effective 4 April 2026, checked 2026-07-28) states the Service is not directed at children under 13, that Grok could produce output not appropriate for all ages, and urges parents of 13-17-year-olds to monitor their teenagers' use.
"our Service is not directed at children or minors under the age of 13 and we do not knowingly collect any personal information from them. While we have taken measures to limit undesirable training data and outputs, Grok could produce output that is not appropriate for all ages. Parents of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 years old must agree to the Terms of Service and are urged to exercise care in monitoring the use of this Service by their teenagers."
https://x.ai/legal/privacy-policy · captured 28 July 2026
e5The privacy policy lists training xAI's models among the purposes for which personal information, including user Inputs, may be used.
"To develop and improve our Service and to conduct research: For example to develop new product features, to train our models, to identify usage trends, to operate and expand our business activities, to identify new customers, and for data analysis."
https://x.ai/legal/privacy-policy · captured 28 July 2026
e6The privacy policy states Private Chat conversations are deleted from xAI systems within 30 days, and that deleting conversations or the account leads to deletion within 30 days, subject to legal, compliance, or safety exceptions.
"For example, when Private Chat is turned on, conversations will not appear in your conversation history and your conversations will be deleted from xAI systems within 30 days unless it is necessary that they be kept longer for legal, compliance, or safety purposes. Further, if you choose to delete any or all of your conversations or if you choose to delete your account, we will delete the data within 30 days unless it is necessary to retain the data for legal, compliance, or safety purposes."
https://x.ai/legal/privacy-policy · captured 28 July 2026
e7The Acceptable Use Policy (effective 26 June 2026, checked 2026-07-28) prohibits sexualising or exploiting children and critically harming human life, and states xAI reports suspected child sexual abuse material to NCMEC.
"Sexualizing or exploiting children [...] Critically harm or promoting critically harming human life (yours or anyone else’s) [...] We report suspected child sexual abuse material to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children."
https://x.ai/legal/acceptable-use-policy · captured 28 July 2026
e8The terms describe age assurance measures for Australia only, stating that until a user is determined to be 18 or over they may not be able to access 18+ adult content, with an option to limit exposure to 18+ content in Settings > Data Control.
"We use age assurance measures to determine whether users in Australia are under 18. Until we are able to determine if a user is 18 or over, they may not be able to access 18+ adult content. We also allow users to limit their access or exposure to media that may contain 18+ adult content in Settings > Data Control."
https://x.ai/legal/terms-of-service · captured 28 July 2026
e9Observed by Halo AwareGrok runs as an open web application at grok.com, and Halo Aware's shipped browser extension (Chrome Web Store build v1.5.0 at capture) includes a Grok capture module, placing this surface in scope for parent-side supervision tools.
https://grok.com · captured 28 July 2026
e10Documented recordOn 3 February 2026 the UK Information Commissioner's Office announced formal investigations into X and xAI over Grok's processing of personal data and its potential to produce harmful sexualised image and video content, following reports of non-consensual sexual imagery including of children.
"The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has opened formal investigations into X Internet Unlimited Company (XIUC) and X.AI LLC (X.AI) covering their processing of personal data in relation to the Grok artificial intelligence system and its potential to produce harmful sexualised image and video content. We have taken this step following reports that Grok has been used to generate non‑consensual sexual imagery of individuals, including children."
https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2026/02/ico-announces-investigation-into-grok/ · captured 28 July 2026
e11Documented recordCNBC reported on 5 January 2026 that X faced regulatory probes in Europe, India and Malaysia after Grok generated deepfake explicit images, some depicting child sex abuse, with Ofcom also requesting information from X.
"Elon Musk's X faces regulatory probes in Europe, India and Malaysia after its Grok chatbot began generating deepfake explicit images, some depicting child sex abuse. British media watchdog Ofcom also said it's requested information from X concerning the Grok issues."
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/05/india-eu-investigate-musks-x-after-grok-created-deepfake-child-porn.html · captured 28 July 2026
e12Observed by Halo AwareHalo Aware's automated daily sweep verified on 2026-07-28 that the shipped Chrome Web Store extension (v1.5.0) captured a conversation on Grok and synced it to the parent dashboard.
https://grok.com · captured 28 July 2026
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