Posted by andrewdug 9/12/2025
Aris is a minimalist tool that answers any questions a child has.
Encyclopedias, periodicals, field guides, cookbooks, and other print resources we used as kids to find knowledge, learn, and pursue our curiosities have been replaced in most households by something that is not safe for kids: the internet. So instead, kids get Fortnite, Minecraft, and ‘edutainment’ options that don’t compare to the knowledge resources that past generations have had access to.
With this in mind, many of the smartest people I know raise (or plan to raise) their kids with access to only a 1990s level of consumer technology, without smartphones, tablets, social media, online gaming, etc. Many of these people believe the last three decades of technological development have been a net negative for kids. When my child was born, I had a similar sentiment. However, there are some major problems with limiting a kid’s access to technology today. To name a couple: 1.) a set of World Book encyclopedias now costs $1,200, and 2.) many print resources aren’t as good as they used to be, if they are even still in print, since the market changed. As parents, we need a safe, simple, nonaddictive way for kids to access and explore the world’s knowledge easily and independently.
Aris uses a combination of large language models with policy engines and web search tools to find relevant, timely answers to their questions and only returns the stripped-down answers. It does not return links for them to click on or images or advertisements. Parents can tune the moderation settings as finely as they’d like, preventing discussions about banned topics and even getting as specific as making sure Aris doesn’t tell their second child that Santa isn’t real.
The model context handling and system instructions are designed to prevent kids from building emotional reliance or relationships with it. Rather than trying to pull a child into the experience to maximize engagement, Aris is meant to gently redirect the child out of the device into the real world after their question has been answered.
We are available as a web app and iPhone/iPad app in the Apple App store, but we have also made our Apple Watch app available in the iOS store as well. We believe minimalist wearables are a good device substitute for younger humans, and we hope Aris can be a healthy addition to those wearables.
We plan to make money through premium features that include creating multiple child accounts, accessing premium models for better answers, and for ultra-high usage limits.
Come use the app for free on our website or by downloading it in the iOS store by searching for “Aris AI”. We’d love to hear your ideas, experiences, and feedback. Thanks!
Maybe you're right though. Maybe trying to create something that just provides information without drawing users in and replacing human connection is a losing game because of the marketing challenges.
Have you heard of books?
As parents ourselves, we think it's helpful for kids to have independent access to the world's knowledge. We've found it helps them feel they can learn as far as their curiosity takes them instead of waiting for library day or waiting for us to look things up for them. Statistics show that most parents just end up letting their kids use Google independently, which has led to half of children today stumbling on adult images and videos by 12. For some reason, I don't see a lot of people criticizing that. Perhaps, because they don't market to kids. Kids just use it. That's probably what will happen with AI tools that don't specifically market to kids. They will have adult content, kids will get exposed, but they won't be blamed because they didn't market to kids.
We understand all parents have different opinions on these things. We basically just built the tool we want for our kids, and we want to give interested parents an extra option if they want it. One where it is impossible to find adult images, video, links, or advertisements.
> We've found it helps them feel they can learn as far as their curiosity takes them
Unless they have very specific questions, children encyclopedia books/apps already go a long way. I'm not sure it's really worth bringing in LLMs to achieve that last mile.
> For some reason, I don't see a lot of people criticizing that. Perhaps, because they don't market to kids. Kids just use it.
You are right. The broader issue is that so many parents allow their kids unsupervised access to the internet in the first place. I'm just wondering if these people really care enough to use your app instead...