Common Sense Media, the leading child safety nonprofit, has issued a stark warning about Google’s AI-powered Search, labelling it an “unacceptable risk” for students and urging schools to block the feature immediately. The organization’s report highlights that Google’s AI Mode, which launched last year and is built into the world’s most dominant search engine, readily completes homework assignments for minors, repeats misinformation with an air of authority, and exposes children to generative AI experiences powered by Gemini models that are otherwise age-gated in every other Google product. The crux of the problem, according to the watchdog, is structural: there is no toggle to disable AI features while keeping the core search function accessible. Parents can block Google.com entirely for child accounts, and school administrators could theoretically do the same for Workspace for Education users, but that would cut off all web search—a move that Amanda Bickerstaff of AI for Education called absurd. “What are you going to say? That kids can’t search the web?” she asked.
The Rise of AI Search in Classrooms
Google’s dominance in education technology is nearly absolute. The company spearheaded a 1:1 device movement that placed Chromebooks in schools across the United States, and it now serves millions of Workspace for Education users from kindergarten through postgraduate studies. When Google rolled out AI Overviews and AI Mode to all users—including education accounts—it did so without providing schools with granular controls to limit or disable the AI features. This means that every student using a school-issued Chromebook and Google Workspace for Education is now interacting with generative AI every time they perform a search, whether they intend to or not.
Common Sense Media’s testing, conducted with consumer accounts, found that AI Mode would write full essays, solve math problems step-by-step, and offer explanations that mimicked human tutoring. While these abilities might sound beneficial, the organization warns that they undermine the educational process by replacing critical thinking and research skills with instant gratification. “Google’s AI Overview and AI Mode are undermining kids’ education, supplying them with dangerous disinformation, and putting their very lives at risk,” said David Monahan of Fairplay for Kids, another child safety nonprofit. “If Google is not even willing to disable AI features for students, schools should stop using Google products altogether.”
Misinformation and Authority
One of the most troubling findings in the report is the way AI Overviews and AI Mode present misinformation. Because Google’s system generates answers based on a statistical model rather than verifying facts, it can confidently repeat falsehoods—such as historical inaccuracies, health myths, or scientific errors—as if they were established truths. For students, who are still developing critical evaluation skills, this creates a dangerous dynamic: the search engine that has always been a reliable gateway to information now becomes a source of potentially harmful claims. Common Sense Media documented several instances where AI Mode provided answers that were either completely incorrect or based on outdated or biased sources.
Google responded to the report by telling Mashable that Common Sense Media’s testing was “narrow and ambiguous” and not an effective way to measure product safety. The company also noted that the watchdog tested consumer accounts, not education accounts, but confirmed that the AI experience is identical for all users. This admission underscores the severity of the issue: schools have no way to opt out of the AI features without abandoning Google Search entirely.
Legal Liability Looms
The situation becomes even more complicated when legal liability is considered. In April 2025, a German court ruled that Google is legally liable for the content generated by its AI Overviews, treating the AI-generated summaries as Google’s own statements rather than third-party results. This ruling could have far-reaching implications for schools. If the same logic applies in jurisdictions like the United States, schools that allow students to use Google Search may be exposing themselves to liability every time a student receives a hallucinated answer that Google’s design presents as fact. Given the volume of searches conducted in a single classroom each day, the potential for harm is enormous.
Legal experts argue that schools could be held responsible for failing to protect students from AI-generated disinformation, especially if it leads to academic misconduct, plagiarism, or real-world harm. The German ruling sets a precedent that could influence courts elsewhere, putting pressure on both Google and educational institutions to take action. In the meantime, Common Sense Media recommends that schools block Google Search entirely until the company provides a way to disable AI features.
The Broader Context: AI in Education
The controversy over Google’s AI Search is part of a larger debate about the role of generative AI in education. While some educators see AI as a powerful tool for personalized learning, content creation, and administrative efficiency, others warn that it can erode essential skills like independent research, critical thinking, and writing. The problem with Google’s approach is that it forces AI onto users without giving them a choice. Teachers who want to teach students how to evaluate sources and synthesize information find that AI Overviews do the work for them, making it almost impossible to assess a student’s genuine ability.
Moreover, the AI models used in Google Search are the same ones that are age-gated in other Google products. For example, Google’s Gemini chatbot is restricted to users over 18 in many regions, or at least requires parental consent for younger users. Yet the same underlying model is powering AI Search, which is available to anyone with an internet connection. This inconsistency has drawn criticism from child safety advocates, who argue that Google is circumventing its own safeguards by integrating AI into a product that children use every day.
Amanda Bickerstaff of AI for Education noted that the problem is systemic: “Google’s AI features are baked into the most fundamental tool that students use. You can’t just tell schools to block Google.com—that’s like telling them to block the library.” She called on Google to provide a simple toggle in the Workspace for Education admin console that would allow schools to disable AI Overviews and AI Mode while retaining standard search functionality. So far, Google has not committed to such a change.
The Impact on Learning
Research has shown that the act of searching is itself an educational process. When students type a query, scan results, click on links, evaluate sources, and synthesize information, they are developing essential cognitive skills. Google’s AI Search replaces that process with a single answer, often without citing sources or explaining how it arrived at the conclusion. This design encourages passive consumption rather than active inquiry, which is the opposite of what education is supposed to teach.
Fairplay for Kids’ David Monahan warned that the consequences could be severe. “Children are not just getting bad grades—they’re being fed dangerous misinformation that could affect their health, their understanding of history, and their ability to function as informed citizens,” he said. He pointed to examples where AI Search provided incorrect medical advice or distorted historical events, with no way for a student to distinguish fact from fabrication.
Schools that want to protect their students are caught in an impossible bind. They can either continue using Google Search and accept the risks, or block Google entirely and lose access to the most widely used search engine in the world. For many districts, especially those that have invested heavily in Google’s ecosystem, the latter option is not feasible. This leaves educators, parents, and students stuck with a product that a respected child safety organization has deemed an “unacceptable risk.”
What Can Be Done?
Common Sense Media’s recommendation is clear: students should not use Google Search until the company provides a way to disable AI features. The organization also calls on school administrators to review their use of Google products and consider alternatives if Google does not act. Meanwhile, advocacy groups are urging lawmakers to hold tech companies accountable for the content their AI systems generate, especially when it affects children.
The German court ruling may accelerate this process, as it establishes a legal framework that treats AI-generated content as the company’s own statements. If other countries follow suit, Google could face a wave of lawsuits from schools, parents, and child safety organizations. For now, the burden falls on educators to make difficult decisions about technology use in the classroom, often without the technical support or policy guidance they need.
Google has not indicated any plans to offer a separate AI toggle for education accounts. The company’s response to Common Sense Media’s report suggests it believes the benefits of AI Search outweigh the risks, but the child safety community strongly disagrees. As the debate continues, millions of students remain exposed to an AI system that their teachers cannot control, their parents cannot disable, and their schools cannot afford to replace.