Culturally Situated AI Safety for Youth: Saudi Arabian Perspectives of Youth, Parents and Teachers

Abstract

Generative AI (GenAI) tools are widely used by youth and have introduced new privacy and safety challenges. While prior research has explored youth's safety in GenAI within a Western context, it often overlooks the cultural, religious, and social dimensions of technology use that strongly shape youth’s digital experiences in countries like Saudi Arabia. To address this gap, this study explores youth's (aged 7-17), parents' and teachers' interactions with GenAI tools and risk perceptions through a non-Western lens. We analyzed 736 Reddit psots, and 1,262 X (Twitter) posts, and conducted interviews with 31 Saudi Arabian participants (8 youth, 13 parents, 10 teachers). Our findings highlight context-dependent and relational privacy and safety needs of GenAI use from non-Western context, which are often shaped by communal structure and prescribed norms. We found significant risks tied to youth’s disclosure of personal and family information, which conflict with culturally rooted expectations of modesty, privacy, and honor, particularly when youth seek emotional support from GenAI. These risks are further compounded by socio-economic factors such as cost-saving practices leading to the use of shared GenAI accounts (e.g., ChatGPT) within families or even among strangers. We provide design implications reflecting parents’ and teachers’ expectations of how youth should use GenAI. This work lays the groundwork for inclusive, context-sensitive parental controls that adhere to cultural norms and values.