Experts warn parents using ChatGPT voice mode to entertain children
Experts warn that parents using ChatGPT voice mode to entertain and calm children risk blurring children's perception of reality versus fiction, as the AI lacks empathy and can lead children to believe they are forming genuine connections with the system. Reports document parents using the chatbot for extended periods, including during sleep routines, and substituting children's creativity with AI-generated images.
What happened
Some parents are using ChatGPT voice mode to entertain children for extended periods, including using the chatbot's calming voice to help children fall asleep. A father on Reddit reported giving his four-year-old son a phone to talk with ChatGPT while doing chores, with the conversation reaching over 10,000 words. Another parent reported using ChatGPT to impersonate an astronaut on the International Space Station to convince his four-year-old that an ice cream package came from space, and later generating AI-created images in response to children's questions about fictional creatures.
Reported impact
Experts warn that artificial intelligence lacks empathy and can blur the boundary between reality and fiction for young children. Harvard professor Ying Xu cited research showing that children often perceive chatbots as something "between alive and not alive," and if they believe the AI has its own will and wants to talk with them, they begin to think they are building a genuine connection. One child was reportedly disappointed upon learning he had been speaking to a computer rather than a person.
Index analysis
The reports highlight concerns about rapid adoption of experimental AI technology into daily family life despite unresolved questions about its impact on mental health. Parents using AI to replace children's own imagination and drawing with instant computer-generated images represents a broader trend of substituting natural child development activities with AI-generated content.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.