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# AI Literacy for Parents & Teens
## Companion Workbook

A printable workbook to support the 6-week course.

**Inside this workbook**

1. **Household AI Agreement** — five-section template, with signature fields *(use in Week 5)*
2. **SIFT Cheat Sheet** — fold-friendly fact-checking reference *(use in Week 4, then keep)*
3. **Mirror Commitment Cards** — fridge-ready commitment templates *(use in Week 6)*

**How to use it.** Print the sections you need. Fill them in by hand — the friction of writing is part of the point. Revisit and re-sign on the dates you've agreed.

---

<div style="page-break-after: always;"></div>

# Section 1
# Household AI Agreement

A written agreement between the people who live in this house about how we will — and will not — use AI.

> This is not a rulebook one person hands to another. It is something every signatory helps write. If a section feels wrong, change the wording before you sign.

**Date drafted:** ______________________________

**Review date (90 days from today):** ______________________________

---

## 1. What we use AI for

The everyday, low-stakes uses we're all comfortable with. Be specific — *"homework help"* is less useful than *"checking the structure of an essay after I've written it."*

| # | We use AI for … | Who this applies to |
|---|------------------|---------------------|
| 1 |                  |                     |
| 2 |                  |                     |
| 3 |                  |                     |
| 4 |                  |                     |
| 5 |                  |                     |
| 6 |                  |                     |

---

## 2. What we don't use AI for

The uses we agree are off-limits in this house. Be specific about *why* where you can — it makes the rule easier to remember.

| # | We don't use AI for … | Why |
|---|------------------------|-----|
| 1 |                        |     |
| 2 |                        |     |
| 3 |                        |     |
| 4 |                        |     |
| 5 |                        |     |
| 6 |                        |     |

*Examples to consider: uploading personal photos to image generators; sharing real names, addresses, or school names with chatbots; using AI to write something we'll claim is entirely our own; using AI companions as a substitute for a real friend or counsellor.*

---

## 3. What we always disclose

When we use AI, we say so. List the specific situations where disclosure is required.

| # | When we use AI for … | We tell … |
|---|----------------------|-----------|
| 1 |                      |           |
| 2 |                      |           |
| 3 |                      |           |
| 4 |                      |           |

*Examples: AI used on a school assignment, if asked. Photos edited with AI before being posted publicly. AI-generated text included in a message to extended family or friends.*

---

## 4. Time and place rules

When and where AI use is paused. These are the rules that protect attention, sleep, and shared time.

- [ ] No AI use during meals
- [ ] No AI use after \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ pm on school nights
- [ ] No AI companion apps after \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ pm
- [ ] Phones and devices charge outside bedrooms overnight
- [ ] One screen-free day or evening per week: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
- [ ] No AI use in the car when we're together
- [ ] Other: ____________________________________________________________
- [ ] Other: ____________________________________________________________

---

## 5. The call-a-human list

Situations where we stop using AI and talk to a real person. Write them out — vague rules fail under pressure.

> **If any of these come up, I will close the app and talk to:** ______________________________________________

| # | If I am facing … | I will talk to … |
|---|-------------------|------------------|
| 1 | Anything to do with my mental health or how I'm feeling |  |
| 2 | A medical symptom or worry about my body |  |
| 3 | Legal trouble, or something that could become legal trouble |  |
| 4 | A situation that scares me or feels unsafe |  |
| 5 | A conflict with a friend, partner, or family member |  |
| 6 |  |  |
| 7 |  |  |

---

## Signatures

By signing, each of us agrees: we helped write this, we understand it, and we'll revisit it together on the review date above.

| Name (print) | Signature | Date |
|--------------|-----------|------|
|              |           |      |
|              |           |      |
|              |           |      |
|              |           |      |
|              |           |      |

**Where this agreement will live:** \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

**Who will call the review meeting:** \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

---

<div style="page-break-after: always;"></div>

# Section 2
# SIFT Cheat Sheet

A two-minute habit for checking anything you read, watch, or are about to share — AI-generated or not.

*Developed by digital literacy expert Mike Caulfield.*

---

## The four moves

### **S — STOP**

Before you read on, share, or react: **stop**.

- Notice your emotional response. Strong feelings are a signal that someone is trying to move you.
- Ask: what do I already know about this topic? About this source?
- If you can't answer either of those, the next three moves matter more.

### **I — INVESTIGATE the source**

Take 30 seconds to find out who's actually behind this.

- Open a new tab. Search the source's name plus the word *Wikipedia*.
- Look at *who funds them, who runs them, what they're known for.*
- Use **lateral reading**: don't trust the "About Us" page. See what *other* sources say about this source.
- For social media posts, check the account's other posts. Real account or repost farm?

### **F — FIND better coverage**

Don't rely on one source. Find out what *multiple credible outlets* say about the same claim.

- Search the core claim — not the headline — in your own words.
- Look for coverage from outlets with different perspectives.
- If only one source is reporting it, that's a red flag.
- If the only sources are AI summaries, you've found *zero* original sources.

### **T — TRACE claims, quotes, and media back to the original**

Most online content is a copy of a copy of a copy. Go upstream.

- Find the original study, document, video, or photo.
- Read it (or at least skim it) in its original context.
- Ask: does the original actually say what this post claims it says?
- Quotes especially: real people get misquoted constantly. Find the source.

---

## The AI-specific add-on

When the content you're checking was produced *by* an AI, two extra checks:

| Check | What to look for |
|-------|------------------|
| **Hallucinated citations** | Click every source link. AI invents URLs, book titles, court cases, and study names that don't exist. If a link 404s or the cited paper can't be found, the rest is suspect. |
| **Hallucinated quotes** | Search the exact quoted text in quotation marks. If it appears nowhere except the AI's reply, it was invented. |

---

## The 2-minute checklist

Cut this out, fold it, keep it in a wallet or stick it on a laptop.

```
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                    │
│   BEFORE I SHARE OR ACT ON THIS:                   │
│                                                    │
│   [ ] S  — I stopped. I'm not reacting on impulse. │
│                                                    │
│   [ ] I  — I know who made this.                   │
│                                                    │
│   [ ] F  — I found at least one other source.      │
│                                                    │
│   [ ] T  — I traced the claim to its origin.       │
│                                                    │
│   If the content was AI-generated:                 │
│                                                    │
│   [ ] Citations are real (links open, work).       │
│                                                    │
│   [ ] Quotes appear in non-AI sources.             │
│                                                    │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

---

## Family practice prompts

Use these together for 5 minutes a week to keep the habit alive.

1. *"Show me one thing in your feed today that you almost shared. Let's SIFT it."*
2. *"Pick a claim you're pretty sure is true. Trace it to its origin. Is it still true after you've traced it?"*
3. *"Find an AI-generated answer with a citation. Click the citation. Did it open?"*
4. *"What's a topic you and I disagree on? Run a SIFT on each other's strongest source."*

---

<div style="page-break-after: always;"></div>

# Section 3
# Mirror Commitment Cards

For the Week 6 activity. Each person — parent and teen — fills out their own card. Cards are exchanged. Then they go on the fridge, or on a bedroom door, somewhere both people will see them.

> The rule: every commitment must be something the *other person* will be able to *see* you doing or not doing. "I'll be more present" doesn't count. "I'll leave my phone in the kitchen during dinner" does.

Print **at least two copies** of the card below — one per person. Print more if you have a larger household.

---

### Card 1

```
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                              │
│   MIRROR COMMITMENT CARD                                     │
│                                                              │
│   My name: ____________________________________________      │
│                                                              │
│   I'm making these commitments to: ____________________      │
│                                                              │
│   Today's date: ______________________                       │
│                                                              │
│   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────      │
│                                                              │
│   The three things I'll change, that you'll be able          │
│   to see:                                                    │
│                                                              │
│   1.  _________________________________________________      │
│                                                              │
│       _________________________________________________      │
│                                                              │
│   2.  _________________________________________________      │
│                                                              │
│       _________________________________________________      │
│                                                              │
│   3.  _________________________________________________      │
│                                                              │
│       _________________________________________________      │
│                                                              │
│   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────      │
│                                                              │
│   If I slip, you have my permission to point it out          │
│   without me getting defensive.                              │
│                                                              │
│   Signed:  ____________________________________________      │
│                                                              │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

<div style="page-break-after: always;"></div>

### Card 2

```
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                              │
│   MIRROR COMMITMENT CARD                                     │
│                                                              │
│   My name: ____________________________________________      │
│                                                              │
│   I'm making these commitments to: ____________________      │
│                                                              │
│   Today's date: ______________________                       │
│                                                              │
│   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────      │
│                                                              │
│   The three things I'll change, that you'll be able          │
│   to see:                                                    │
│                                                              │
│   1.  _________________________________________________      │
│                                                              │
│       _________________________________________________      │
│                                                              │
│   2.  _________________________________________________      │
│                                                              │
│       _________________________________________________      │
│                                                              │
│   3.  _________________________________________________      │
│                                                              │
│       _________________________________________________      │
│                                                              │
│   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────      │
│                                                              │
│   If I slip, you have my permission to point it out          │
│   without me getting defensive.                              │
│                                                              │
│   Signed:  ____________________________________________      │
│                                                              │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

---

## Examples to spark ideas

If you're stuck, here are commitments other families have used. Don't copy them — use them to find your own.

**Parents have written:**

- I'll leave my phone in the kitchen during dinner, every night.
- I'll say out loud when I'm using AI to write something — including emails to school.
- I'll ask you before posting a photo of you on social media.
- I'll stop checking my phone in the first five minutes after you walk in the door.
- When I don't know something, I'll say *"I don't know — let me check"* instead of guessing.
- I'll keep my laptop closed during our weekly check-in.

**Teens have written:**

- I won't use my AI companion app on school nights.
- I'll tell you which apps I'm using AI in, when you ask.
- I'll put my phone face-down at meals.
- I'll come and find you to talk before opening an AI chatbot about something personal.
- I'll show you, once a week, one thing I made or learned with AI.
- I'll close TikTok before going to bed.

---

## The monthly check-in

After the cards are exchanged, put a **monthly 30-minute check-in** on the calendar. Same time each month. Three questions:

> **1. What did AI help us with this month?**
>
> **2. What did AI cost us this month?**
>
> **3. Does our household agreement still fit, or does it need an edit?**

**First check-in date:** ______________________________

**Where the check-in happens:** ______________________________

**Who calls the meeting if it gets skipped:** ______________________________

---

*End of workbook.*

*Built as a companion to the 6-week course "AI Literacy for Parents & Teens." Print, write on, fold, stick on the fridge. The friction of doing it by hand is part of the point.*