According to Kaspersky Safe Kids data on app usage in India over the last six months, ChatGPT now accounts for 2.41% of the Top 20 apps used by children in the country, placing it within the Top 10 at 7th on the list. It shares the ranking with more familiar names: YouTube leads at 30.68%, followed by WhatsApp at 29.14%, Instagram at 10.24%, Chrome at 9.35%, Facebook at 2.55%, and Brave at 2.50%. ChatGPT sits just ahead of Zoom (2.38%), Roblox (1.79%), and Telegram (1.51%), making it the only AI chatbot to break into the Top 10 apps used by kids in India during the period.
This shift suggests children are turning to AI chatbots for more than entertainment. Where a young user's screen time was once dominated almost entirely by video, messaging, and social apps, an AI assistant now sits comfortably alongside them, used for quick answers, homework help, and everyday conversation. That a single AI tool has climbed high enough in just six months to outrank established apps like Zoom, Roblox, and Telegram points to how quickly it has become part of children's everyday digital routine in India, not an occasional curiosity.
AI curiosity is growing everywhere, not just in India
India's numbers mirror a trend Kaspersky has tracked worldwide. In its most recent global report on kids' digital interests, Kaspersky found that AI-related apps and services jumped from sixth to third place in children's Google searches worldwide between May 2025 and April 2026, overtaking video streaming, whose share of children's searches fell from 18% to 8.7% year-over-year. Seen against that backdrop, ChatGPT's arrival in India's own Top 10 places the country squarely within a curiosity curve Kaspersky is tracking on a global scale.
Not all of this curiosity is risk-free. Chatbot interactions, particularly with bots customized by other users, can expose children to emotionally intense content, misinformation, or age-inappropriate themes on platforms that often carry limited moderation. That risk profile applies just as much to Indian households now that AI chatbots have entered children's everyday app usage, making the same safety habits Kaspersky recommends worldwide just as relevant here.
Taken together, the India numbers reflect the same pattern Kaspersky is tracking globally. Kids are moving from purely entertainment-driven app use toward AI tools that double up as homework helpers, search assistants, and even companions.
"ChatGPT climbing into India's Top 10 kids' apps in just six months tells us AI has stopped being a novelty, it's a daily tool now, used for homework, quick answers, and sometimes just to talk something through. A third of Indian children using education technology are already turning to generative AI every day. A child who treats ChatGPT like a search engine, a tutor, and a confidant all at once needs to understand its limits as much as its uses," said Jaydeep Singh, General Manager for India at Kaspersky.
"Preparing children for AI isn't really about technology, it's about judgment. A chatbot can help with homework just as easily as it can get something wrong with total confidence, and children need to learn to tell the difference. That's the gap we're trying to close through the Cyber Investigation Centre, giving kids a real, hands-on sense of how these tools work and where their limits are, so the habits they build stick long after they leave KidZania," he adds.
Today's children are digital natives. From a very early age, they are in contact with technology and its benefits, using their devices to watch videos, play online, stay in touch with friends and family, and support themselves in school tasks. As young Indians grow up immersed in the digital world, equipping them with cybersecurity awareness from the earliest possible age has never been more critical.
It is this shift, children arriving at AI chatbots and unfamiliar platforms earlier and faster than most parents can track, that makes hands-on cybersecurity education so urgent. Awareness built through a textbook or a one-off talk rarely sticks the way a lived experience does, which is why Kaspersky's approach has increasingly centered on letting children practice safe digital behavior directly, rather than simply being told about it.
Kaspersky and KidZania: Making cyber safety hands-on for kids
It is with this vision that Kaspersky and KidZania partnered to launch the Cyber Investigation Centres at KidZania Mumbai and Delhi NCR, both in April 2026. The Centre is a first-of-its-kind role-play establishment that places children aged six and above at the heart of a real-world cybersecurity mission, investigating cases of phishing, identity theft, and cyberbullying using Kaspersky's advanced security tools, and learning how to stay safe in an increasingly connected digital world.
"KidZania gives us something no product feature can, a child's full attention in a place built for learning by doing. When a nine-year-old plays cyber detective for an hour, cybersecurity stops being a warning from a parent and becomes something they've actually practised. That's the behaviour shift we're chasing, whether the entry point happens to be ChatGPT or a random WhatsApp forward," said Purshottam Bhatia, Head of Consumer Business, South Asia, Kaspersky.
As part of the KidZania partnership, Kaspersky is currently running a special offer of a 30-day free trial, plus up to 40% off award-winning Premium protection, plus a 1-year Safe Kids subscription worth INR 1,439.
To watch favorite shows safely, Kaspersky recommends the following:
● Maintain open communication with children about potential online risks and establish clear guidelines to ensure their safety.
● Secure gaming experiences by installing a trusted security solution, such as Kaspersky Premium, to prevent malicious file downloads.
● Stay informed about emerging threats and actively monitor children’s online activities in order to create a safer digital environment.
● Introduce children to cybersecurity basics using educational tools like the Kaspersky Cybersecurity Alphabet — a free downloadable book that explains key concepts, cyber hygiene rules, and how to avoid fraud.
● Use digital parenting apps like Kaspersky Safe Kids to protect children both online and offline, manage screen time, block inappropriate content, and track their location for greater peace of mind.
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