Is AI Dungeon actually safe for a 10-year-old?

Mostly, but it requires 'Safe Mode' to be active and a conversation about how AI works. It's less like a curated game and more like a very smart, slightly unpredictable autocomplete. If they stick to their own private stories, the risk is low.

Does it have ads or 'pay-to-win' mechanics?

No traditional ads, but it heavily pushes a subscription for access to better AI models. It’s not 'pay-to-win' because there’s no winning, but the free version can feel a bit 'dumb' compared to the paid ones.

Can they talk to other real people in the app?

There is a multiplayer mode where they can invite friends to a story, and a community section where they can read and comment on other people's published scenarios. You can't turn off the community section entirely, so it's worth a look together.

What happens if the AI says something inappropriate?

The app has a 'Retry' button that generates a new response, or the user can manually edit the AI's last line. It's a good teaching moment about how AI doesn't actually 'know' what it's saying—it's just predicting text.

AI Dungeon – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

AI Dungeon

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

app2019

85%

WISE Score

4.4

App Store

An infinite text-adventure engine that turns your kid into a dungeon master and a novelist at the same time.

AI Dungeon

app

Teen, 2019

85%

WISE Score

4.4

App Store

An infinite text-adventure engine that turns your kid into a dungeon master and a novelist at the same time.

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Where to Find

App Store

Google Play

Screenwise Verdict

AI Dungeon is a rare beast: a screen-based activity that actually makes your brain work harder. It’s the ultimate antidote to the 'passive scroll' of TikTok. Instead of consuming a story, your kid is the architect. If you have a reader or a D&D fan in the house, this is a slam dunk.

That said, don't just hand it over and walk away. Because it's powered by LLMs, it can get weird. Think of it like a library where some of the books might have a few pages of 'Game of Thrones' accidentally bound into a 'Harry Potter' novel. It's mostly fine, but you want to be in the loop.

Age Fit

Best for kids 11 and up. It requires a decent reading level and the maturity to handle an AI that occasionally hallucinates something nonsensical or slightly edgy. Younger kids will just get frustrated when the AI doesn't understand their one-word commands.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

The tone is entirely dependent on the user. While it doesn't default to toxicity, the AI can lean into gritty or dark tropes common in fantasy and sci-fi literature.

Imaginative

This is essentially a digital version of 'Yes, and...' improv. It is one of the most creatively demanding and rewarding apps available, forcing players to build worlds rather than just consume them.

Safe

Large language models are unpredictable. Even with 'Safe Mode' enabled, the AI can generate mature themes or violence. The community-shared scenarios are also a mixed bag of quality and appropriateness.

Enriching

It turns gaming into a creative writing exercise. Kids have to think about syntax, descriptive language, and narrative logic to get the AI to cooperate.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Infinite replayability because the story literally never ends and reacts to any input, no matter how weird.
Creative writing in disguise—your kid won't realize they've just written 2,000 words of prose because they were too busy fighting a dragon.
Collaborative play allows friends to jump into the same story and build a world together in real-time.
Customizable difficulty means they can play a hardcore survival sim or a 'god mode' power fantasy where they can't fail.

⚠

What to Watch For

AI unpredictability is the big one; the model can occasionally veer into dark or sexualized territory if the prompt is ambiguous.
Community scenarios are often created by adults and can contain themes that 'Safe Mode' filters might miss.
Subscription friction exists because the free AI models are noticeably dumber than the paid ones, which can lead to frustrating story loops.

Conversation Starters

"What’s the weirdest thing the AI has done when you tried to do something simple?"
"How do you handle it when the story goes in a direction you didn't expect?"
"If you could build a world that the AI would never get bored of, what would it look like?"
"Do you think the AI is actually 'smart,' or is it just really good at guessing the next word?"

Deep Dive

The 'Yes, And' Machine

AI Dungeon isn't really a game in the traditional sense. There are no graphics, no twitch-reflex requirements, and no pre-determined winning state. It is a collaborative storytelling tool. For a certain type of kid—the one who spends their time filling notebooks with world-building lore—this is pure magic. It uses a variety of AI models (including tech from OpenAI and Anthropic) to act as a narrator that never gets tired.

The Safety Reality Check

The developers, Latitude, have been through the ringer regarding content moderation. They have filters in place to prevent the most egregious stuff (like CSAM or extreme gore), but AI is slippery. If a kid actively tries to 'jailbreak' the AI into saying something inappropriate, they eventually will. However, for a kid playing in good faith, the biggest risk is usually just a story that gets a bit too intense or a community-created scenario that has some mature 'romance' tropes baked in. Use the 'Safe Mode' in settings—it's not a titanium shield, but it's a solid filter.

Free vs. Paid

The 'Free' tier is a great way to test the waters, but the AI can sometimes lose the plot or repeat itself. The paid tiers (Adventurer, Hero, Legend) give you access to 'larger' models that have better memory and more coherent logic. If your kid is actually using this to write stories, the $10-15 a month is a better investment than most battle passes, as it's essentially a tool for a hobby rather than just a skin for a character.

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