Make us partners, not users: Youth take centre stage at India AI Impact Summit
UNICEF teen advocate Prasiddhi presents global mandate on safe AI
A high-level session on “AI and Children: Turning Principles into Practice for Safe, Inclusive and Empowering AI” at the India AI Impact Summit brought policymakers, scientists and global institutions together on Monday to examine how emerging technologies are reshaping childhood, with youth voices taking centre stage in the conversation.
The session opened with speakers underlining the dual responsibility of making AI systems safe for children, while also empowering them through education and innovation.
It also highlighted the role of the National Education Policy in embedding computational thinking and emerging technologies in school curricula. Besides, the growing use of adaptive learning platforms and digital tools shaping young lives was also discussed in the session.
The most compelling intervention came from 13-year-old UNICEF India youth advocate Prasiddhi Singh, who articulated a clear youth mandate that children must be treated as partners in the future of AI, not passive end users.
Presenting the “Children and Youth Statement for a Safe and Inclusive AI Future”, built from inputs of nearly 54,000 young people across 184 countries, Prasiddhi framed the charter as an urgent global call to action. In essence, her message resonated with the line: “Make us partners, not users”.
She outlined eight key demands, including inclusive datasets representing marginalised communities, strong data protection safeguards, age-appropriate design and protections from harmful AI-generated content.
Need for AI literacy
Investments in AI literacy, mentorship & innovation platforms will enable children to become creators of technology.
Prasiddhi Singh, Unicef youth advocate
She also called for investments in AI literacy, mentorship ecosystems and youth innovation platforms enabling children to become creators of technology. Warning against risks such as exclusionary automated hiring systems, she stressed the need for transparency and human oversight.
She further demanded meaningful youth participation in AI governance, from grassroots ambassadors to decision-making forums. “When young people shape AI as equal partners, it builds creators, not merely consumers of the future,” she said.
S Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and IT, echoed the sentiment and noted that technological transformation must ultimately serve the next generation. He emphasised the need for democratising access, building governance guardrails and expanding opportunities for youth innovation.
Principal Scientific Adviser Ajay Kumar Sood highlighted the rising exposure of children to AI-driven systems through education and digital platforms. While pointing to benefits such as personalised learning and accessibility, he cautioned against over-reliance, data risks and developmental impacts, calling for stronger safety frameworks.
The session, organised with UNICEF and industry partners, reinforced a shared consensus that safeguarding children in the AI age required moving beyond principles to implementation, with young voices helping shape the rules of the future.
