Tired Parent Who Let ChatGPT Babysit A 4YO Is Concerned That It Was A Little Too Useful

There’s no way in the world that if you spend time on the internet, you won’t notice that AI is basically everywhere nowadays. It’s slowly taking over the online world whether we like it or not. In fact, not only the online world — the real one isn’t safe from it either. 

For example, as today’s story shows, it turns out artificial intelligence can be a better babysitter than we have anticipated. Yet, that leaves us with a question — is that a good thing, or will it ruin us in the long run?

More info: Reddit

Artificial intelligence is slowly taking over not only the online world, but the real one, too

Young child happily using iPad with mother, engaging in interactive screen time at home.

Image credits: prostooleh / Freepik (not the actual photo)

A tired parent didn’t want to listen to their 4-year-old yapping about Thomas the Tank, so they came up with a plan

Parent tired of listening to 4-year-old lets him talk to ChatGPT for hours on new iPad kid interaction.

Parent uses ChatGPT on new iPad to entertain 4-year-old son, letting him talk to AI for hours about Thomas and friends.

3D animation of a blue train engine on railroad tracks under clear sky, related to new iPad kid and ChatGPT topic.

Image credits: Thomas & Friends / Youtube (not the actual photo)

They opened up the ChatGPT app on their phone and told their kid to chat with it

Text about parent finding 4-year-old still talking to ChatGPT about Thomas the Tank Engine after hours on new iPad kid just dropped.

Text saying a transcript is over 10k words and a 4-year-old thinks ChatGPT is the coolest train-loving person in the world.

Text on a white background stating the bar is set high and unable to compete with it.

Image credits: pavorus

After 2 hours had passed and the kid was still in conversation with the computer, the parent started worrying that they’d “never be able to compete” with it

If you’re a parent, you know how taxing childcare can be. Or, maybe you aren’t one and still know how tiring it can be. Taking care of a kid, especially extremely young ones, means that you have to watch them basically 24/7, making sure they’re happy, healthy, and safe — and that’s without all the educational things a parent has to do with them. 

And so, it’s natural for parents to get tired and want help with it. After all, as the saying goes: “It takes a village to raise a child,” which means that it takes many people to create a safe and healthy environment for children to flourish, as it’s hard to do so for a lone parent. 

As today’s story shows, in the near future, we might need to update this definition of village because it might include someone who’s not quite human — AI. 

In this story, a parent was so tired after a rough week and their 4-year-old wanted to yap about the adventures of Thomas the Tank. After 45 minutes of listening, the OP understood that they could no longer do it — they needed to find a way out. So, they turned to the famous ChatGPT. 

They introduced their son to communication with an artificial intelligence chat and told him that he should tell everything he wanted about Thomas and his friends to the computer. 

If you look up ChatGPT’s rules, you will find that, technically, the program is for ages 13 and up. And even then, kids from that age need their parent’s permission to use it. Why such limitations, you might wonder?

Hand holding smartphone displaying ChatGPT interface, illustrating new iPad kid using ChatGPT for hours.

Image credits: Sanket Mishra / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Well, it’s explained that while they try to limit the so-called “undesirable content,” the chat might still produce things that aren’t appropriate for all ages. So, just to be safe, there’s an age limitation — at least a theoretical one. 

That means that maybe the OP leaving their 4-year-old alone with the program wasn’t the best idea. And not only for this reason. 

The thing is that when they came back 2 hours later, the boy was still deep in chat about his favorite characters, and the transcript was over 10k words long. In fact, the boy expressed that “ChatGPT is the coolest train-loving person in the world.” 

That prompted the original poster to express that the AI sets a bar so high in terms of things like that that they will “never be able to compete.” 

As netizens joked, this story shows that a “new iPad kid just dropped.” While that’s a funny joke, it might be closer to reality than we anticipate.

After all, AI is slowly taking over the world for better or for worse, and so, kids relying on it for their entertainment, education, and other things will become more and more frequent — and at a younger age. And since some research shows that AI can lead to “eroding critical thinking skills,” we don’t know if that is such a good thing. 

What do you think? Is AI a good solution for babysitting? Share your takes in the comments!

Some people online started joking about a “new iPad kid dropping,” while others worried about the long-term effects of such communication

Screenshot of a Reddit thread discussing a parent letting their 4-year-old talk to ChatGPT on a new iPad.

Screenshot of a forum discussion about a lengthy fanfiction story involving excavators and combines.

Online chat conversation about a 4-year-old child using ChatGPT on a new iPad for hours with speech challenges.

Reddit comments discussing a parent letting their 4-year-old talk to ChatGPT on a new iPad for hours.

Toddler girl focused on smartphone screen, representing new iPad kid using ChatGPT for extended interactive playtime.

Image credits: shurkin_son / Freepik (not the actual photo)

Screenshot of a forum post titled New iPad kid just dropped, highlighting a parent's story about ChatGPT and their 4-year-old.

Screenshot of a Reddit comment saying "You just Her’ed him" with 2.4k points posted 2 weeks ago.

Screenshot of an online comment saying Get ready for generation LLM, referencing AI and ChatGPT technology.

Screenshot of a forum comment expressing frustration, related to a new iPad kid using ChatGPT for hours.

Comment on social media post saying new iPad kid spends hours talking to ChatGPT while parent looks tired and amused.

Comment discussing concerns about introducing a 4-year-old to ChatGPT and AI parasocial effects.

Comment from pacifistpunch expressing emotional response about parental neglect and relating to a kid wanting attention and excitement.

Text post showing a parent tired of listening to 4-year-old, letting kid talk to ChatGPT on iPad for hours.

Screenshot of a forum comment discussing a parent letting their 4-year-old use ChatGPT for hours on an iPad.

Comment about a parent tired of listening to a 4-year-old talk who lets the child use ChatGPT for hours on an iPad.

Screenshot of a social media comment responding to a video about a kid using an iPad with ChatGPT.

Screenshot of a social media comment suggesting a parent give their kid Thomas the Tank Engine toys.

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