How chatbots became the new-age parenting guru
AI tools like ChatGPT are not only coming in handy for homework assignments ( don’t judge, please! ), they are also offering both practical advice and emotional support
Neha Bhayana Five-year-old Anaisha ran to her mother for help with drawing a decent unicorn. “Please show me an easy way,” she begged. Zenobia Panthaky was at a loss for ideas, more so as she was busy changing her six-month-old’s diaper, so she decided to ask her trusted parenting partner, ChatGPT. A few seconds later Panthaky followed the steps suggested by the AI app and helped Anaisha draw a beautiful unicorn which she put up in her room. “ChatGPT is my secret genie,” winks the Punebased software professional.
One would have imagined that Indian parents, who are always trying to restrict their kids’ screen time and reminiscing about the good ol’ days when students went to libraries or looked up encyclopedias, would steer clear of artificial intelligence. But the opposite is happening, experts say. Like many moms and dads across the world, Indian parents too are bitten by the AI bug. From asking Meta AI about how to deal with the multiple night wakings of their baby to seeking ChatGPT’s help with preschool projects and research for higher grades and even venting about their daily struggles with non-cooperative kids, parents say artificial intelligence is their trusted advisor, assistant, confidante and companion rolled into one.
HOMEWORK HELPER ChatGPT seems to have become a parent’s best homework helper. Need to make your son solve an equation but can’t think of an easy way? Ask ChatGPT. Need to help your daughter write an Independence Day speech about the freedom struggle? Ask Meta AI to write it for you. The ninth edition of the Global Online Safety Survey by Microsoft revealed that 65% of Indians used generative AI in 2024, which is more than twice the global average. ‘Support with schoolwork’ was among the top reasons for use of AI.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world’s largest tech professionals’ organisation, conducted a survey with millennial parents (aged 24 to 39 years) across US, UK, India, China and Brazil and reported that 81% of Indian parents would be comfortable taking the help of robot nannies to help their kids do homework compared to the global average of 66% who would do so. Apart from Indians, only Chinese parents expressed similar comfort. Mumbai-based Khyati Mehta, who introduces herself as a full-time mom and part-time French teacher, says AI came to the rescue when she was struggling to help her son prepare for the Class 7 final exams earlier this month.
“Some chemistry concepts are too complicated. I asked ChatGPT to give us a simplified version which we could remember, retain and use in writing the papers,” says Mehta, adding that without the tool she would have had to check multiple websites or watch videos uploaded by tutors on YouTube to try to understand how to determine the valency of chemical compounds and explain it to her son. The 41-year-old also asked the app to produce English and Gujarati sample essays on various topics and made her son read those the day before the language exams, so he could tackle the write-ups better. For the English literature exam, Mehta wanted to create a timeline of the places visited by the protagonist in the novel ‘The Invisible Man’ so she simply scanned and uploaded the text and ChatGPT presented her the timeline in an easy-to-understand tabular format within seconds. “I think AI is a great tool to help a child understand lessons better and enhance the academic performance,” she says.
POSTPARTUM PARTNER Moms with newborns say that while they would hesitate to call a friend or relative at 3am to ask why their baby won’t stop crying, AI helps them with instant advice at any hour. “I use AI for whatever doubts I have,” says Panthaky. The Pune mom points out that she first used ChatGPT after her younger daughter’s delivery because she wanted to know about quick games that she could play with her elder one while lying in bed. “I had a bad postpartum phase. My baby was in the neonatal intensive care unit for 15 days and I was not feeling well enough to look after my elder one. ChatGPT gave me some very good suggestions,” she says, adding that now most of her conversations with the app are regarding food for her six-monthold.
“I recently asked ChatGPT if it would be a good idea to mix rice and apple for my baby’s meal. ChatGPT not only validated this but also gave me five more options, some personalised for me,” she adds. Delhi mom Shriya Bhatia says Meta AI gives her clearer and sounder advice than her friends’ group. “If I ask fellow moms if it is okay to give egg to my 10-month-old, I get so many different opinions that I feel more confused. Sometimes, it is easier to ask Meta AI,” she says. Panthaky, however, feels no one can replace mommy friends or family elders when it comes to giving emotional support.
TANTRUM TAMER Kunal Dalal, author of the book ‘The A.I. Parent: How artificial intelligence is helping me be a better father’ observes in a LinkedIn post that AI has become “a partner in the emotional and psychological work of parenting, one that can help us cultivate greater self-awareness, empathy, and resilience in ourselves and our children.” Most parents who have used AI chatbots for advice on managing tantrums, meltdowns and teen drama seem to agree. When Niti Mehta (name changed) told Meta AI that her 12-year-old had asked her to get out of the room (she was too embarrassed to talk to her friends or mom about this) and asked for suggestions on how to react, the chatbot not only acknowledged her feelings (“It is natural to feel hurt…) and explained why this had happened (“Your 12-yearold is growing up and asserting her independence”), it also helped her with a potential script for her response: “Hey [daughter’s name], I wanted to talk to you about earlier when you asked me to leave your room. I felt a bit hurt, but I understand that you need your own space sometimes. Can you help me understand why you wanted me to leave? Let’s talk about how we can respect each other’s boundaries.”
Mehta says she felt better instantly. “And, I literally repeated the script, otherwise I wouldn’t have known how to handle this situation,” she says, adding that WhatsApp’s Meta AI is like having a personal, non-judgmental therapist at your fingertips. The IEEE survey had also found that 83% of Indian parents are likely to use an AI chatbot to diagnose their sick child in the future. Parents say they are already doing this. “If I Google the symptoms faced by my child, I end up scouring sites for hours. AI gives me a potential diagnosis in seconds,” says Bhatia. In an article on Motherly, twin mom Sarah Boland admits she seeks advice from parenting support AI app Breda and others to ease her mental load. “I know that I won’t be able to turn to AI for every parenting situation but it’s nice to know I have a resource quite literally in my back pocket that can guide me through whatever comes my way,” she notes.
SILENT OBSERVER While a section of parents is using AI to their advantage, some are still wary of its use. Punebased counselling psychologist and early childhood educator Pritika Parwani is one of them. “While the benefits of AI are tremendous and it saves time for educators and counsellors like me, it has robbed the generation of creativity. The whole essence of research, including the use of physical texts, encyclopaedias and even basic Google search is lost entirely. I have students who submit entirely plagiarised and AI generated essays, without even reading it once,” she says, adding that she hopes to keep her daughter away from AI writing tools as much as possible.
The 33-year-old admits she does occasionally use AI tools, such as Canva and ChatGPT to design worksheets and generate annual lesson plans aligned to the learning outcomes, but she makes sure her use is minimal. “I still prefer old school research and brainstorming for my work!” she says. Mumbai mom-of-two Shradha Grover too avoids use of Meta AI, as tempting as it may be, and prefers to come up with her own creative ideas for her six-year-old’s school presentations. “I would often use AI for help with thinking about topics for show-and-tell day at school, but I try not to now,” she says, adding that she feels concerned that AI is “like a silent observer” tracking all our activities, searches and even emotions. “I feel the disadvantages are more than the advantages,” she quips. The frequent incidents of deepfakes, scams, online abuse, and hallucinations has also made parents like Grover concerned about the adverse impact of AI.
Here’s how ChatGPT helped us solve some common parenting issues
My toddler is lying on the floor in a mall. Should I give in to his demand? ChatGPT begins the 253-word answer by assuring the parent “It’s completely normal for toddlers to get overwhelmed or upset and express themselves by lying on the floor”. The app then says that the situation will determine whether the parent should give in to the demand or not. Moreover, the app advises the parent to consider the child’s safety first, then assess the demand (see if it is reasonable or not) and stay calm. The parent is also advised to try to distract the toddler. Most parents would agree that this is a very practical suggestion. Logic and reasoning usually fail when one is trying to manage a tantrum.
How to get my kid to listen to me? ChatGPT came up with a 777-word answer to this question. The app suggested 11 strategies like ‘Make eye contact, use positive reinforcement and use a calm and assertive tone’. Each suggestion is followed by an explanation and tips too. My baby is spitting out khichdi. What can I do? The app advises the parent to check the texture and temperature of the khichdi, offer smaller bites, use colourful spoons and bowls, and be patient. “Introduce khichdi slowly and continue offering it even if they refuse initially. It can take several tries for babies to accept a new food,” reads a point in the 239-word answer. ChatGPT also asks the parent to consult a paediatrician if the baby continues to reject food and enquires about the child’s age. When we say the age is five months, the chatbot presents tips appropriate for that age and also advises the parent to ensure the khichdi is smooth and runny as the child is too small.
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