Responsible AI for Children: IEEE Delivers a Trusted Safety Formula to Help Protect Kids Online

The IEEE Standards Association, the global, consensus-building standards development organization of IEEE – the world’s largest technical professional organization and public charity dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity – today advanced its Responsible AI for Children (RAIC) Certification Program with the first product certified for children’s online safety.

As children increasingly engage with digital and AI-enabled technologies, parents, educators, developers, and regulators want tools they can trust. IEEE’s Responsible AI for Children (RAIC) certification directly addresses these needs by translating global technical standards into a practical assessment for age-appropriate design and child safety – helping organizations prioritize children’s values, rights and well-being in their digital products and services.

“As AI becomes part of children’s everyday lives, our responsibility as technology leaders has never been greater,” said Mary Ellen Randall, 2026 IEEE President and CEO. “We must help ensure that AI systems built for children prioritize safe and supportive experiences. This certification program gives organizations a competitive advantage in demonstrating that their AI-enabled products, such as smart toys, online gaming and educational solutions, support children’s well-being and helps earn the trust of families and educators.”

IEEE’s Trust-Led Certification Program Helps Make AI Safer for Kids

The IEEE Standards Association’s RAIC certification means an AI product for kids – a smart toy, learning app or tutoring platform – has been independently tested and verified to meet concrete safety and ethics requirements. By aligning both design and assessment practices, the program supports technology companies, public institutions and educational organizations in building more trustworthy digital products for children.

• Design requirements: Organizations must design with standards-based privacy protections, age-appropriate content limits and safeguards for children’s rights (as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) from the start of development, not retrofit them later.
• Independent testing: IEEE-accredited assessors evaluate the finished product against the RAIC requirements before certification is awarded, comparable to how a safety label is earned for a physical toy.
• Ongoing accountability: Certified organizations must continue demonstrating compliance as the product changes, rather than receiving a static, one-time review.

“Children make up a significant share of today’s online world, yet too often they are an afterthought in technology design,” said Sophia A. Muirhead, IEEE Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer. “Our focus as a society must be on building trust and safety directly into the tools our children interact with every day. To do that, we need independently verified age-appropriate design standards like the Responsible AI for Children certification, helping protect young users from harm while allowing them to benefit from technology’s many advantages.”

IEEE’s certification programs leverage a global network of independent testing labs and assessors to help ensure child-focused devices and systems meet recognized standards for safety and reliability. It is an extension of IEEE’s globally recognized ethical AI program CertifAIEd™ and bridges two core IEEE standards: IEEE 2089™, which sets requirements for age-appropriate digital services, and IEEE 7000™, which guides ethical system design.

First Product Certification Awarded to NCSR Demokritos for d-AI-logue

The IEEE Standards Association also announced the first product to be certified is d-AI-logue, an innovative AI-powered educational platform developed by Greece’s National Centre for Scientific Research (NCSR) ‘Demokritos’. The platform uses Socratic dialogue, a teaching method focusing on guided questions rather than direct answers, to support students in evaluating information independently.

The certification provides independent assurance to Greek educators, schools, ministries and parents that the product has been evaluated against rigorous criteria for use with children, supporting broader trust and adoption as the platform expands into classroom pilots and educational programs.

“At NCSR Demokritos, we believe that AI systems can play a transformative role in education, but only when they are developed and deployed responsibly,” said Dr. Georgios Petasis, Researcher and d-AI-logue Coordinator, NCSR ‘Demokritos’. “We pursued the IEEE CertifAIEd Responsible AI for Children certification because independent validation is critical when creating AI systems intended for children. The certification demonstrates our commitment to trust, transparency, human oversight and educational integrity, while providing confidence to educators, policymakers and parents that d-AI-logue has been designed with the best interests of learners at its core.”

To learn more about the RAIC Certification Program or apply for product evaluation, please visit https://ieeesa.io/raic.

About IEEE Standards Association

IEEE Standards Association(IEEE SA) is a leading global standards-setting organization that advances technology for the benefit of humanity. Through an open, consensus-based process, IEEE SA brings together experts across industry, government, academia, and civil society to develop globally adopted standards, foster pre-standards technology incubation, conformity assessment, training and government collaboration that address socio-technical challenges, support child well-being and digital safety, and foster trust in emerging technologies. Through standards, collaboration, and innovation, IEEE SA helps shape a safer, more sustainable, and equitable world.

About IEEE

IEEE is the world's largest technical professional organization and is a public charity dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is a trusted voice across fields ranging from global standards, aerospace systems, computers, and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power, and consumer electronics. Learn more at https://www.ieee.org.

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