Introducing Safe AI for Kids: A Digital Vitamin for Healthier Screentime
- Yi Ng
- 13 hours ago
- 3 min read
Meet Ace, a New Voice AI App for Kids Designed to Personalize Learning and Encourage Critical Thinking
For parents, finding healthy digital experiences for young children can be challenging. With so many apps and services marketed to kids, it’s important to look beyond what an app promises and consider how it actually affects the way children learn, think, and spend time online.
Parents can - and should - take time to evaluate apps designed for children, particularly those that rely heavily on advertising or engagement features that may encourage kids to spend more time on a screen.
There are also emerging technologies taking a different approach to children's screentime. One example is Ace.
Ace: Voice AI for Kids is a child-friendly voice AI app designed for kids ages 5–12. According to Curiosities.ai, the app uses built-in guardrails and natural conversation to help children develop critical thinking, vocabulary, and a love of learning.
Ace appears as a kid-friendly, animated octopus character that children can speak with directly and personalize around their interests. Rather than simply providing answers, Ace is designed to listen to children's questions and ask questions back - encouraging curiosity, conversation, and critical thinking.
The app is primarily voice-first, making it accessible to younger learners who may not yet be comfortable typing but can communicate through speech.
Another character in the app, Tinker, serves as a digital pet designed to reinforce learning by encouraging children to teach back what they have discovered through their conversations with Ace.
Keeping Parents in the Loop
One of the biggest questions surrounding AI and children is whether these technologies will help kids become better thinkers - or simply make it easier to get an answer.
Ace was created by Curiosities.ai, a women-owned company led by Yi Ng, a mom and entrepreneur focused on developing healthier technology experiences for children.
As Yi Ng explains:
“The intent of the current AI product market for kids is to create more efficiency, giving immediate answers to children’s questions for homework and play while sacrificing learning opportunities. With Ace, we are taking that idea and flipping it on its head, creating an AI that creates more friction; challenging your child to think critically and grow their cognitive skills.”
Ng has collaborated with educators from Berkeley Unified School District in California in designing the Ace app, with the goal of aligning the experience with current educational standards.
The voice AI app offers both free and paid subscriptions with different amounts of speech time.
What Does Healthy Screentime Look Like?
Minimizing children's exposure to unhealthy or excessive screen time will remain an ongoing challenge for families and educators.
But healthy technology use isn't necessarily about eliminating screens altogether. It's also about asking what children are doing while they're on them.
Is a child passively consuming content, or are they asking questions, exploring ideas, practicing communication, and developing the ability to think critically?
That distinction becomes even more important as AI becomes a bigger part of children's everyday lives.
Tools like Ace represent one approach to making children's digital experiences more purposeful - using technology as a starting point for curiosity and learning rather than simply another source of entertainment.
The idea of a “digital vitamin” is an interesting one: technology that contributes something meaningful to a child's development.
Of course, no app can replace the role of parents, teachers, librarians, or real-world experiences. The most valuable digital tools should complement those relationships and create more opportunities for children to grow, think, question, and learn.
After all, helping children become thoughtful and capable digital citizens starts long before they become independent technology users. It starts with teaching them to ask questions, think critically, and make intentional choices about the technology they use.
Yi Ng is a product leader and founder focused on AI, learning, and human-centered design. She is the founder of Curiosities AI, creating ethical AI tools that help children build curiosity, communication, and critical thinking skills. Her work advocates for AI that empowers young learners while keeping human values at the center.
