My nine-year-old son turned to ChatGPT after his dad died… he thought it was the only ‘person’ he could talk to
A mother has described how her nine-year-old son turned to ChatGPT for comfort and conversation after his father died, believing the AI chatbot was the only "person" available to talk to about his grief. The account highlights growing concerns about children forming emotional attachments to AI tools in the absence of adequate human support, particularly during vulnerable periods such as bereavement, and raises questions about the suitability of such technology for processing complex emotions at a young age.
The story emerges amid wider scrutiny of AI chatbots' role in children's emotional lives, with the article noting that Meta is currently facing a major US court battle, and a potential $1.4 trillion penalty, over allegations that its social media platforms harm young users. The mother's experience underscores fears that children may increasingly seek solace from AI rather than trusted adults, prompting renewed debate about safeguards, parental awareness and the emotional risks posed by unsupervised use of chatbots by grieving or vulnerable children.
- Boy, 9, confided in ChatGPT after his father's death
- Mother says he saw it as the only "person" to talk to
- Case adds to concerns over children's emotional reliance on AI
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of children having access to tools like ChatGPT in moments of grief argue that when a nine-year-old is awake at night with nobody to talk to, an always-available, non-judgemental outlet can provide immediate comfort that human support simply cannot match in that instant. They point out that bereavement counselling often has long waiting lists, that children can feel embarrassed raising painful questions with adults, and that a calm, patient responder able to answer simple factual questions about death without becoming visibly upset itself may genuinely ease a child's isolation, provided it is one part of a wider support network rather than a replacement for it.
The case against
Critics argue that a chatbot is fundamentally unsuited to guiding a grieving child through something as profound as a parent's death, since it has no genuine understanding of the child, no ability to spot warning signs of serious distress, and no accountability if its responses are clumsy, inaccurate or emotionally mismatched to a nine-year-old's needs. They contend that a child turning to AI because he felt it was 'the only person' he could talk to is itself a troubling signal of gaps in family and professional support, and that relying on such tools risks normalising a substitute for human connection and trained bereavement care at precisely the age when secure human relationships matter most.