Last updated:
Describe the app, game or site you want. Build it with Otto, test it in the live preview, then open the code and make it yours. Published projects get their own link you can share.
AI-assisted coding is how a lot of software gets written now: you describe what you want, AI drafts the code, and you test, read and change it. The skill isn't the prompt. It's knowing what to build, spotting what's wrong, and fixing it.
Quick answer
The best way for teens to code with AI is to build something they want, then test it, read the AI's code and change it themselves. Look for a tool that shows the real code and lets them publish. HeyOtto Coding is built for kids and teens, with live preview, code editing and parent controls.
What teens build
Projects that grow with their skills.
Levels, scoring, enemies and controls they tune in the code.
Games
Study tools, trackers and multi-screen apps for things they do every day.
Apps
Portfolio sites, club pages and fan sites.
Sites
A chemistry quiz, a history timeline, a math visualizer.
School
How it works
The same loop professional developers use with AI, scaled to where they are.
The best signal that a teen learned something: they can explain how their project works without the AI open.
Learn to code with AISix steps
What does it do? Who uses it? What's version one?
Otto writes the code; the project runs in the live preview.
Open it and ask Otto to explain the parts they don't recognize.
Change logic, layout and rules in the code, not only through chat.
Try edge cases, describe what breaks, fix it with Otto or by hand.
Publish to the Marketplace with its own link. HeyOtto reviews every project, and parents can require their approval.
Skills
What each part of building with AI actually teaches.
| Skill | What it looks like | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Breaking problems down | Turning “a study app” into screens, data and rules | The hardest part of building anything |
| Reading code | Following what a function does and where it's called | Needed to change or fix anything |
| Debugging | Reproducing a bug, narrowing it down, fixing it | Most of real programming |
| Judging AI output | Noticing code that looks right but isn't | AI is often confidently wrong |
| Iterating | Shipping version one, then improving it | How real products get built |
Compare
Professional tools do more. They're also built for adults. Check each tool's own terms for its age rule.
Build, preview, edit the code and publish, with family safety settings applied.
What you build
Games, apps and websites that run in the browser
Code access
Read and edit directly
Publishing
Marketplace with a shareable link, reviewed first
Limits
No outside APIs or services, by design
Many languages, deployment and integrations. More setup and no parent visibility.
Code access
Full
Publishing
Deploy to the web
Parent visibility
None built in
Age rule
13+, with a parent's permission under 18
An AI code editor installed on a computer. Powerful, and it can change files on that machine.
Code access
Full
Setup
Install and a local project
Parent visibility
None
Age rule
18+ or the age of majority
Lovable requires users to be 18 to create their own account.
What you build
Web apps with hosting and integrations
Age rule
18+ for your own account
Parent visibility
None
Safety
Four risks every teen coder should know, and how HeyOtto handles each. Otto is the AI assistant, not a companion.
Code that runs isn't always code that's right.
Real names, addresses and passwords don't belong in projects.
Anything published can be seen by others.
Teens get the same parent visibility as younger kids.
Age-Adaptive
Supervision
Pick something small enough to finish in an afternoon.
Ideal Usage
An interactive quiz or a one-screen game
Supervision
Edit the code directly instead of asking Otto for every change.
Ideal Usage
A multi-screen app or a game with levels
Supervision
Plan the parts before building; debug by hand first.
Ideal Usage
A larger project with several connected pieces
A teen who can explain how their project works, and why they built it that way, has learned more than one who shipped ten projects they can't explain.
Natalie Gibson, Founder and CEO
FAQ
One that lets them read and edit the code, publish what they build, and fits their age. HeyOtto Coding is built for kids and teens, with all three. Professional tools like Replit and Cursor do more but are built for adults.
Yes. Teens build web apps, games and websites by describing them, then testing and editing the code.
No. Experience helps them go further faster, but they learn by reading and changing the code AI writes.
Yes, if teens read, test and change the code rather than only generating it. That's the same loop developers use.
Yes, for building and publishing web projects. Teens who need outside APIs, databases or their own hosting will eventually move to professional tools.
Replit and Cursor are full professional tools. HeyOtto Coding is narrower by design: built for under-18s, no outside connections, and parents in the loop.
Yes. Published projects get their own link on the Marketplace, which teens can add to a portfolio or college application.
01 / 07
One that lets them read and edit the code, publish what they build, and fits their age. HeyOtto Coding is built for kids and teens, with all three. Professional tools like Replit and Cursor do more but are built for adults.
Still need a hand?
Start free. Build it, read the code, ship it.
