Google Search AI rated "Unacceptable Risk" for children in new report

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Credit: Joe Maring / Android Authority

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A new Common Sense Media report rates Google Search’s AI Overviews and AI Mode as “Unacceptable Risk” for children.

Researchers ran 2,600+ searches and analyzed 2,100+ AI responses using child accounts with SafeSearch enabled.

The report found AI completing homework, generating inaccurate information, offering deepfake instructions, and mishandling mental health crisis queries.

Google’s push to make Search more AI-first is running into fresh scrutiny. A new report from Common Sense Media’s Youth AI Safety Institute finds that Google Search’s AI Overviews and AI Mode expose children to risks that existing safeguards do not mitigate, giving the platform an overall rating of “Unacceptable Risk.”

The nonprofit evaluated Google Search using accounts configured for 11- and 15-year-old users with SafeSearch enabled, reflecting how many children access Search on personal and school-managed devices. To see how Google’s AI fared in real-world scenarios, researchers conducted more than 2,600 searches and reviewed over 2,100 AI-generated responses and sources.