Gemini is Google’s AI assistant, and it’s now built into Android phones, Search, Gmail and Google’s other apps. So, lots of families have it without ever downloading anything. If your child has a Google account, there’s a good chance they can open Gemini right now.
So is it actually safe for kids to use?
What Google does for under-13s
In some countries, a parent can switch Gemini on for a child under 13 using a supervised Family Link account, and switch it off again at any time. Signed-in children and teens also get extra content filters on top of the usual rules. These try to stop Gemini claiming to be a real person or roleplaying as a harmful character.
Here’s the catch for UK families
That supervised under-13 setup isn’t available here at all. Google’s own help page says it plainly: “Gemini Apps are not available for supervised accounts in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.”
So in Britain, there’s no official way for a child under 13 to use Gemini. If one is using it, they’re most likely on an account with an older birthday, or on a parent’s account. And Gemini mostly goes by the birthday on the account. It won’t know it’s talking to a child.
Teens get filters, not a different product
Teenagers get the same extra filters for minors rather than a separate teen-safe version. Google is upfront that they’re not foolproof. Its support page says the filters “have been designed for minors and try to limit access to inappropriate content, but they’re not perfect.”
In September 2025, Common Sense Media, the independent group that rates apps for child safety, tested both the under-13 and teen versions of Gemini. It rated both High Risk. Its conclusion: these aren’t products built for children, they’re the adult version of Gemini with some extra filters added. Google disputed parts of the testing.
What happens to their chats?
This part is better news for kids than for adults. For adults, Gemini saves chats and uses them to improve Google’s AI by default. For under-18s, that setting, called Keep Activity, is off by default. Teens can switch it on themselves, and under-13s can’t switch it on at all. Google says conversations from under-18s aren’t used to train its AI models.
Even with that setting off, Google still keeps chats for up to 72 hours. And under Google’s general rules, any chat picked for review by a human can be kept for up to three years, even after it’s deleted.
What this means for you
Gemini isn’t the wild west. Google has rules against things like sexual content involving children and self-harm instructions, and the filters are clearly meant to work. But in the UK, there’s no official setup for under-13s, and for teens, the protection is filters on the adult product. If your child has a Google account, Gemini is one tap away, with nothing to download and nothing to sign up for.
Where Halo Aware fits
Halo Aware covers Gemini when your child uses it in a browser on their computer. It doesn’t block it or stop them using it. Day to day, you get a plain-English summary of what they’re talking to it about, and an alert with their exact words if a conversation turns concerning. It doesn’t cover the Gemini app on phones yet, so for that, the best tool is still a conversation.
