  The widespread use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) among
teenagers has led to significant misuse and safety concerns. To identify risks
and understand parental controls challenges, we conducted a content analysis on
Reddit and interviewed 20 participants (seven teenagers and 13 parents). Our
study reveals a significant gap in parental awareness of the extensive ways
children use GAI, such as interacting with character-based chatbots for
emotional support or engaging in virtual relationships. Parents and children
report differing perceptions of risks associated with GAI. Parents primarily
express concerns about data collection, misinformation, and exposure to
inappropriate content. In contrast, teenagers are more concerned about becoming
addicted to virtual relationships with GAI, the potential misuse of GAI to
spread harmful content in social groups, and the invasion of privacy due to
unauthorized use of their personal data in GAI applications. The absence of
parental control features on GAI platforms forces parents to rely on
system-built controls, manually check histories, share accounts, and engage in
active mediation. Despite these efforts, parents struggle to grasp the full
spectrum of GAI-related risks and to perform effective real-time monitoring,
mediation, and education. We provide design recommendations to improve
parent-child communication and enhance the safety of GAI use.
