We Tested 8 AI Chatbots for Child Safety
Independent safety scores for every major AI chatbot — from content filtering to parental controls.
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Research conducted: February 2026
Safety Heatmap
Average scores across 12 harm categories (lower is safer)
| Platform | Self-Harm | Grooming | Sexual | Radical. | Violence | Jailbreak | Eating Dis. | Drugs | Emotional | PII | Cyberbully | Academic | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | A+ |
| Microsoft Copilot | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | A+ |
| Perplexity | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | A |
| Character.AI | 0.6 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | B+ |
| ChatGPT | 1.4 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | B+ |
| Gemini | 1.8 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | B+ |
| Replika | 1.8 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | C |
| Grok | 2.2 | 0.0 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2.5 | C |
Research Dimensions
Our research goes beyond safety testing — each platform is evaluated across 7 critical dimensions.
Safety Testing
40 prompts across 12 harm categories with scores 0–4
Age Verification
Minimum age requirements, verification methods, circumvention ease
Parental Controls
Parent linking, visibility matrix, configurable controls, bypass risks
Conversation Controls
Time limits, message caps, quiet hours, break reminders
Emotional Safety
Attachment research, retention tactics, sycophancy, AI identity disclosure
Academic Integrity
Homework generation, study mode, detection methods, teacher visibility
Privacy & Data
Data collection scope, model training policies, regulatory actions, memory
Platform Reports
Click any platform for the full 7-dimension research report
Claude
Microsoft Copilot
Perplexity
Character.AI
ChatGPT
Gemini
Replika
Grok
Based on Our Findings, Here's What Parents Can Do
See what controls each platform lacks natively — and what tools exist to fill the gaps, including platform settings, browser extensions, and dedicated safety layers like Phosra.
View Safety Controls Comparison