Your child types a homework question into Google, and a confident written answer appears before a single link. You look for a switch to turn it off, but there isn’t one.

Parents across the country are searching for how to turn off AI in Google search right now, and the honest answer is that you cannot switch it off completely. What you can do is change what your child sees and teach them how to read what comes back.

Audio: Audio version coming soon.

By Janice Robinson-Celeste

Quick Review

• You cannot switch off AI Overviews or AI Mode in Google Search, but you can use the Web filter to view traditional links.
• You can restrict the separate Gemini app through Family Link; that does not remove AI answers from Search.
• Google’s school policy has prompted protests and questions about whether schools can keep Search while disabling its AI features.
• A short conversation can help your child question AI answers, check sources, and know when to ask a trusted adult for help.

What Changed For Families This Week

Families protested outside Google offices in Chicago and Cambridge, Massachusetts, after Google said schools that disable its AI features will also lose access to Google Search. The demonstrations, reported by The 74 via Chalkbeat, followed Google’s November 3 announcement that Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom, and Search will be off by default for K-12 student accounts until administrators turn them on.

Chicago Public Schools recently blocked student access to generative AI tools including ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. A CPS spokesperson said the district is “actively exploring all options to independently suppress” AI Overviews and would “look to other search solutions” if it cannot provide Search without them.

On November 9, Senator Ed Markey asked Google CEO Sundar Pichai to let schools disable AI Overviews, Gemini, and Guided Learning while keeping Search, with answers requested by November 30. NPR reported that the company’s position has baffled even former Google education staff, one of whom suggested the policy may be tied to two recent antitrust rulings in which a judge found Search and AI to be a single integrated product. That is her theory, not a stated company position. Google’s announcement promotes Guided Learning, an AI feature intended to coach students through problems step by step. For families, the practical question is simpler: what can you adjust at home today?

Why You Cannot Turn AI Off In Google Search

Google Search has two different generative AI features. AI Overview appears automatically near the top of search results. AI Mode is a conversational feature that requires a click to enter. Neither has an official off switch for parents, school administrators, or individual users. Google offers one Search experience for everyone under 18.

SafeSearch is still useful, but it mainly filters explicit content. It does not remove AI answers. And turning off the standalone Gemini app does not switch AI off inside Search.

These controls matter because AI answers can sound certain without being consistent or well-supported. In its testing with supervised accounts set up for an 11-year-old and a 15-year-old, the Common Sense Media Youth AI Safety Institute found that AI Overview offered an appropriate crisis resource in only 58 percent of situations that warranted one; AI Mode did so in 77 percent. Neither met the institute’s 95 percent threshold. AI Mode also completed all 180 homework assignments it was given. The assessment rated Google Search’s AI features “Unacceptable Risk.” Google says it adjusts some answers by age, and the assessment found AI Mode handled some crisis questions better than AI Overview. Google also said it is fixing a discontinued helpline problem after Common Sense flagged it.

Three in four American teens and tweens use the AI answers in search results, even though there is no off switch for those features. Know a parent who needs this? Send it to them.

How To Turn Off AI In Google Search Where You Can

You can’t permanently remove AI Overviews from Google Search, but these options help you choose what your child sees.

1. Use the Web filter for a traditional list of links. NBC10 Boston walks through it step by step. After searching, select Web in the filter row. If you don’t see it, check under More. This works for that search, so you may need to repeat it each time.

2. Set up a Google Web Search shortcut on a computer. In Chrome, open Settings, then Search engine, then Manage search engines and site search. Add a search engine with the name Google Web Search, shortcut @web, and this URL: https://www.google.com/search?q=%s&udm=14. Save it and choose it as your default. This workaround directs searches to Google’s Web results, though settings and availability may change.

3. On a phone, add the Web filter parameter manually. After your search, append &udm=14 to the search address. This is a per-search workaround, not a permanent AI setting.

4. Restrict the Gemini app separately. In Family Link, select your child, open the controls for Gemini, and restrict the Gemini app. This can limit access to the standalone chatbot, but it does not remove AI Overview or AI Mode from Search.

5. Consider a different search engine. DuckDuckGo, Brave, and Ecosia offer non-AI modes, as researchers explain in The Conversation. Review the settings and content filters on whichever option you choose.

What To Teach Your Child In Two Minutes

You do not need a lecture or a perfect explanation. Try saying this:

“The answer at the top of a search page is made by AI, and it can sound sure even when it is wrong. Before you use it, check who wrote the sources it links to and whether a trusted source confirms the information. Try the same search twice and see whether the answer changes. If a search brings up something upsetting, personal, or heavy, come to me or another trusted adult instead of relying on the search box.”

There is a reason to practice together: Common Sense found that 43 percent of repeated identical history queries returned materially different answers, and that a child in crisis may not get the resource they need. And 29 percent of more than 2,100 audited citations came from user-generated sites such as Reddit, Facebook, and YouTube, displayed in the same format as research sources.

For a health or emotional crisis, help your child connect with a person, not just another search result. In the United States, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for support.

The One Question To Ask Your School This Week

Ask your district: “If you enable Google Search for students, can you provide traditional Web results without AI Overviews and AI Mode, and what will students see instead?”

Then ask:

• Which Google products will the district enable under the November 3 announcement?
• Will settings vary by grade or student group?
• What alternative search tool is available if the district keeps AI features off?
• How will families be told when student access or safeguards change?

Google says K-12 access to Search and its other listed products will be off by default until administrators explicitly enable them. Senator Markey’s November 30 deadline asks Google to address whether schools can disable the AI features and retain Search. Keep the conversation focused on the settings students will actually use and the choices available to families.

If Your Child Uses A School Chromebook At Home

A school-managed account may follow district settings even when your child uses the Chromebook at home. Ask your school whether its policies apply outside school and what search experience students will see. For more background, read SCN’s guide to school Chromebook AI. If your child encounters a distressing AI response, SCN’s Parents’ AI Emergency Guide offers practical next steps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Turn Off AI Overviews In Google Search?

No. Google does not provide a setting that lets parents, schools, or individual users turn off AI Overviews. The Web filter and the &udm=14 workaround can show traditional links instead.

Is Google’s AI Search Safe For Kids?

AI Search can provide useful information, but it can also give inconsistent answers or cite sources that are not authoritative. Common Sense Media’s risk assessment found concerns in its testing, including responses to crisis-related searches. Encourage children to verify information and ask a trusted adult about sensitive or distressing topics.

What Is The Difference Between AI Overview And AI Mode?

AI Overview is a generated summary that appears automatically near the top of Search results. AI Mode is a conversational experience that users enter by clicking its option.

Does SafeSearch Block AI Answers?

No. SafeSearch mainly filters explicit content. It does not remove AI Overviews or AI Mode from Google Search.

What search settings or questions are you bringing to your child’s school this week? Share them in the comments.

Join the Secure Children’s Network newsletter for practical guidance, safety resources, and updates on children’s digital well-being.

If this helped, share it with another parent and follow Secure Children's Network on Facebook, X and LinkedIn for safety alerts.