AI Platforms

Is Grok safe for kids? What parents need to know

5 min read · Updated October 28, 2026

Grok has few protections for kids. It scores 20 out of 100 in the TeenCue Rating, Few or no protections. It requires users to be 13 or older, with a parent’s permission under 18, and lets users delete chats and report answers. But SpaceXSI (formerly xAI) publishes no teen mode, parental controls or crisis support, and a Dutch court has ordered limits on its image tools. See the evidence behind Grok’s score.

Grok’s age rules and sign-up

SpaceXSI’s Consumer FAQs say users must be at least 13 to use Grok, and that users under 18 need a parent or legal guardian’s permission. SpaceXSI’s published materials describe only a self-confirmation of age: we found no age estimation, no ID or selfie check and no parent consent step. Every other app’s minimum age is in AI chatbot age limits.

No SpaceXSI legal, help or safety page describes a separate experience for users under 18. Press reports describe a Kids Mode in the Grok mobile app, but we did not find it in SpaceXSI’s own published materials as of 26 October 2026, so we cannot tell you what it does. Grok age limit covers the age rule in more depth.

What Grok can do that parents should know about

• It is an AI chat assistant at grok.com, in the Grok app and inside X.
• Grok’s App Store listing describes companion characters, Ani, Rudi and Valentine, including a flirtatious character and a romantic one. We found no published limits on companions for teens. AI companion apps and teens explains why that matters.
• SpaceXSI’s terms warn that Grok’s output may not suit all ages. We found no stricter content filters for minors.
• SpaceXSI may use Grok chats to train its models by default. Grok on X also uses X data and interactions unless the user turns that off.
• SpaceXSI’s Privacy Policy lists targeted advertising as a use of personal information, with no exception described for users under 18.

SpaceXSI’s Acceptable Use Policy bans sexualizing or exploiting children, but we found no published ban on sexual or romantic roleplay with users who are minors. We also found no SpaceXSI page describing crisis resources shown when self-harm comes up, and SpaceXSI’s safety page does not cover teens or children.

Two recent decisions concern Grok’s image tools. On 26 March 2026 the Amsterdam District Court barred xAI from generating undressed sexual images of people in the Netherlands without their consent, including material that qualifies as child sexual abuse material, with penalties of up to EUR 10 million. On 11 June 2026 Canada’s Privacy Commissioner found X Corp. and xAI broke federal privacy law by launching Grok image generation without adequate safeguards.

The parental settings Grok actually has

None for parents. SpaceXSI points parents to the general data controls in Settings, which are the same for every user. These are worth going through with your teen:

1. In the Grok app, open Profile, then Settings, then Data Controls, and turn off use of their conversations for training Grok.
2. On X, go to Settings and privacy, then Privacy and safety, then Data sharing and personalization, then Grok & Third-party Collaborators, and turn off sharing their public data and interactions for training.
3. On X, under Data sharing and personalization, then Grok, choose Delete Conversation History.
4. Turn on Private Chat in Grok, so new conversations are not saved and are deleted within 30 days.
5. To report a harmful answer, tap the three dots on the response and choose Report Issue.

The gaps those settings leave

• There is no way for a parent to link to a teen’s account, and SpaceXSI documents no parent-set hours, time limits or feature switches, including for companions.
• Age is self-confirmed, so the parent permission rule for under-18s is not checked.
• SpaceXSI has no documented way to tell a parent if something serious comes up, and no documented crisis support.
• Chats that are not in Private Chat are kept until your teen deletes them.
• We found no break reminders, time limits or quiet times for teens.

What to do tonight

1. Ask your teen whether they use Grok, and where: the app, grok.com or inside X.
2. Ask whether they have tried the companion characters, and talk about what a romantic AI character is designed to do.
3. SpaceXSI requires a parent’s permission for anyone under 18. Decide together whether you give it.
4. If Grok stays, turn off training in both Grok and X, and switch on Private Chat.
5. Tell them that if a chat ever turns upsetting, they can come to you.

Where TeenCue fits

TeenCue cannot change any Grok setting and does not block Grok. TeenCue is an extension for Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Brave on a computer, and it covers grok.com along with ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and other supported AI websites. For a chat it shows a category, a topic and a concern rating, never what was typed, so you can see whether Grok is being used and roughly what for. It does not cover the Grok phone app or Grok inside X, and your teen will know it is there. The TeenCue iPhone app is coming soon. How TeenCue works lists every supported service.