Framework Authoritative

Guidance on AI and Children (Version 3.0)

Version 3.0 of UNICEF's flagship child-rights framework on artificial intelligence, updating the 2021 Policy Guidance on AI for Children. It applies child-rights principles to the design, deployment, and governance of AI systems that affect children, with new material added throughout — including a section on AI companions used by children.

Read at unicef.org Archived copy

Publisher

UNICEF Innocenti — Global Office of Research and Foresight

Published

1 Dec 2025

Added

1 month ago

DOI

—

Key Findings

Version 3 (2025) adds a dedicated focus on AI companions used by children, alongside the AI supply chain (child labour, datasets contaminated with harmful content) and environmental impacts.
Applies child-rights principles to AI design and governance across the systems children encounter.
Frames obligations for governments and developers to protect children from AI-related harms while supporting beneficial uses.

Methodology Notes

Child-rights guidance framework; Version 3.0 published December 2025 (date precision: month). Institutional authorship (individual authors not listed). unicef.org returns HTTP 403 to automated fetchers; title, version, December-2025 date, and the 'AI companions used by children' addition were verified via an archived copy of the official UNICEF Innocenti page (Wayback snapshot, 2026-06-01). Distinct from the already-held UNICEF/Tech Legality brief 'When AI becomes a friend' (June 2026).

Sources

UNICEF Innocenti — Guidance on AI and Children(opens in a new tab) (primary)

Guidance on AI and Children v3.0 (PDF)(opens in a new tab)

Archived snapshot (Wayback Machine)(opens in a new tab) — preserved against link rot

Topics

Minors' safety AI companionship Dependency & parasocial attachment Standards & governance

Cite This

APA

UNICEF Innocenti — Global Office of Research and Foresight. (2025). Guidance on AI and Children (Version 3.0). https://www.unicef.org/innocenti/reports/policy-guidance-ai-children

Related Insights

Government report

When AI becomes a friend: Child rights risks, harms, and regulatory responses to AI chatbots and companions

UNICEF (with Tech Legality) · 9 Jun 2026

NGO report

Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions

Common Sense Media · 16 Jul 2025