› Grades 3–5 · ages 8–11 · Four corners
Should the app decide what you watch?
“Video apps should be allowed to pick the next video for kids.”
Recommendation systems are the AI kids meet most. Students figure out what the app is optimizing for, argue whether autoplay should exist for kids, and leave with a rule for their own screens.
45 minutes · one class period · free to photocopy
Students will be able to
- Explain that 'recommended for you' is a computer guessing from what you watched before.
- Identify what the app wants (more watching) versus what you want.
- Take a position and give a reason and an example.
Vocabulary
- Automation — Software doing a whole task chain with minimal human steps.
- Training data — The examples a model learned from — often the whole internet, licensed corpora, or both.
- Privacy (when using AI) — What you paste into a model may be stored, logged, or used to improve products.
- Automation bias — Trusting the machine because it’s fast and confident — even when it’s wrong.
Agenda · 45 minutes
| Minutes | Segment | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5 | Warm-up | 'Who picked the next video?' Establish: the app guesses from what you watched. |
| 5–12 | What does the app want? | Ask what makes the app 'win.' Land on: you keep watching. Ask whether that's the same as what you want. |
| 12–30 | Four corners, three rounds | 1: 'Autoplay should be turned off for kids.' 2: 'It's fine if a grown-up set it up.' 3: 'The app knows what I like better than I do.' Huddle, report, move. |
| 30–38 | Write a rule | Pairs write one screen rule for a younger sibling. Share three. |
| 38–45 | Exit ticket | Complete the handout. |
Yes — let the app pick
The app knows what I like, and picking is annoying.
- It shows me stuff I'd never find on my own.
- Grown-ups can turn it off if they want.
- Choosing every single video is boring.
No — I should pick
The app wants me to keep watching; I want to stop when I'm done.
- It keeps showing the same kind of thing over and over.
- It only knows me from what I watched, not who I am.
- It's my time, so it should be my choice.
Discussion questions
- 1.openingWhat does the app know about you? How?
- 2.coreIf the app's goal is 'more watching,' is that good or bad for you? When?
- 3.coreCould the app ever guess wrong about you? What would that look like?
- 4.coreWho should be in charge of the next video: you, a grown-up, or the app?
- 5.closingWhat's one rule you'd make for your own screen?
How four corners runs
Label the room's corners Strongly agree / Agree / Disagree / Strongly disagree. Read a statement; students walk to the corner that matches their view and talk with their corner for two minutes, then each corner reports one reason. Re-read the statement and let anyone move. Movement is the discussion.
In grades 3–5
Short rounds, concrete examples, lots of moving. Fairness and friendship are the live wires.
Preview the full pack
Cover, teacher guide, and every student handout. Print teacher pages once and student pages one per learner.
On a phone, open the PDF in a new tab — in-page previews are unreliable in mobile Safari.
Standards
- CCSS ELA SL.3.1 / SL.4.1 / SL.5.1
- ISTE Students 2.b / 2.d (digital citizenship, personal data)
- CSTA 1B-IC-20 (technology and social interaction)
More for grades 3–5
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