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Would you tell a stranger? Deciding what's safe to type into a chatbot

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This lesson goes with our article What to tell a chatbot, and what to keep to yourself.

Talk about it at home: jump to the Kitchen Table Talk

Teach it this week

Cyber AI

Would you tell a stranger? Deciding what's safe to type into a chatbot

Big idea: A chatbot isn't a diary. What you type goes to the company, can be kept for months or longer, and may be read by reviewers. Share like you're writing a postcard.

Background for the teacher or parent: Google asks Gemini users not to enter confidential information they wouldn't want a reviewer to see, and OpenAI explains ChatGPT's training and temporary chat settings. Read both: Google: Gemini Apps Privacy Hub and OpenAI: data controls in ChatGPT.

Classroom version (10 minutes)

  • Objective: Sort information by how safe it is to share with a chatbot, and name one privacy setting.
  • Hook (2 min): Hold up a postcard. Who might read it before it arrives? Who might read a chat?
  • Explain (3 min): Chats can be saved, and some are reviewed by people. Temporary chats and training settings help, but don't make a chat private. Share the postcard rule.
  • Activity (4 min): Pairs sort made-up cards into three piles: fine, change the details first, never. Examples: a math question, a friend's phone number, a password, a parent's bank account number.
  • Exit ticket (1 min): Rewrite one "change the details" card so it's safe to ask.

Kitchen Table Talk (10 minutes)

  1. Ask who uses a chatbot, and for what.
  2. Read the rule aloud. Our rule of thumb: if you wouldn't write it on a postcard to a stranger, don't type it into a chatbot.
  3. Together, find the training and memory settings in the chatbot you use most.
  4. Tonight's action: each person deletes one old chat they'd rather not keep.

Use made-up examples only; never real passwords, account numbers or personal details. Free to use; please keep the source credit.

Education only, not financial, legal or tax advice. Not a registered investment adviser.

Sources

Primary sources

  1. Google: Gemini Apps Privacy Hub, date checked: Oct 22, 2026
  2. OpenAI: Data controls in ChatGPT, date checked: Oct 22, 2026