Ages & Stages / College

College: Ages 18+

Whether they're heading to college or already there, young adults now make AI choices on their own. Help them build a toolkit, not a rulebook.

The goal is lasting judgment they carry into college and work.

The 2-minute version

  • Every college and employer has its own AI rules. Teach them to look these up first.
  • New adults are scam targets: safe word, verify, never pay under pressure.
  • Privacy is theirs to manage now: settings, data, digital footprint.

Their privacy protections change at 18

U.S. law (COPPA) requires parental consent for collecting data from kids under 13, but no similar federal consent rule covers teens 13 to 17, and adults manage their own data entirely. Some states, including California, Texas and Utah, have their own privacy laws (Brookings[1]).

Top risks at this stage

  • Breaking a class or school AI policy without realizing it.
  • Scams using AI voices and fake emergencies. Americans lost over $893 million to AI-related scams in a year, according to the FBI as reported by KPRC Click2Houston[2].
  • Over-trusting AI for health, money or legal questions (APA[3]).
  • Adult-only companion apps like Replika, which markets romantic “partner” features (Internet Matters[4]).

What to say

“You're on your own soon. What's your plan if a class says no AI?”
“Any call asking for money fast, even from me, is a red flag. Hang up and call back on a number you know.”From FBI advice[2].
“What do you use AI for that actually makes you better at something?”

Do this together

Good ways to use AI

  • Résumé feedback and mock interviews.
  • Financial-aid and scholarship research (always verify deadlines on official sites).
  • Study planning, organization and calendars (Brookings[7]).
  • Brainstorming and synthesis, while checking accuracy (APA[3]).

References

AI-OK? summarizes these sources in our own words and links to the originals. Short quotes are marked with quotation marks, and some titles are described in [brackets]. All credit for original research and guidance belongs to the authors below.

  1. Brookings Institution. (2026). Where kids' information goes in an AI world. Parent tip sheet 11. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/tips-for-parents-raising-resilient-learners-in-an-ai-world. Accessed October 4, 2026.
  2. KPRC Click2Houston. (2026, June 2). FBI warns of AI voice-cloning scam that mimics loved ones in distress. https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/06/02/fbi-warns-of-ai-voice-cloning-scam-that-mimics-loved-ones-in-distress/. Accessed October 4, 2026.
  3. American Psychological Association. (2025, June). Artificial intelligence and adolescent well-being: An APA health advisory. https://www.apa.org/topics/artificial-intelligence-machine-learning/health-advisory-ai-adolescent-well-being.pdf. Accessed October 4, 2026.
  4. Internet Matters. A guide to artificial intelligence (AI) for parents. https://www.internetmatters.org/resources/parent-guide-to-artificial-intelligence-ai-tools/. Accessed October 4, 2026.
  5. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). https://www.ic3.gov/. Accessed October 4, 2026.
  6. Anthropic. AI fluency: Framework & foundations. The 4D framework. Claude Academy. https://academy.claude.com/courses/ai-fluency-framework-foundations/the-4d-framework. Accessed October 4, 2026.
  7. Brookings Institution. (2026). When AI helps learning, and when it gets in the way. Parent tip sheet 12. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/tips-for-parents-raising-resilient-learners-in-an-ai-world. Accessed October 4, 2026.