Boy, 9, Says ChatGPT Was the Only 'Person' Who Understood Him After His Father's Sudden Death

A nine-year-old boy whose father was killed in a road traffic accident told his mother that ChatGPT was the only 'person' who had understood him in a long time. His mother, Louise, said he was 'really pleased with the responses' and felt his friends 'couldn't answer him like that at all'.

The boy had told ChatGPT the entire story of his father's death before asking questions he was struggling to understand. He wanted to know why his mother was dealing with police, what a solicitor was and why the driver who hit his father was not in jail.

Louise, 42, had spent years helping her sons, aged nine and 12, understand their father's death while keeping information age-appropriate. She had also arranged therapy to help them process the shock and grief.

'ChatGPT Has Changed That'

Louise said both boys wanted answers, but she believed the circumstances of their father's death made it particularly important to control how much they were told. She said keeping information age-appropriate was crucial to their grief journey.

'We've lost daddy, and me and the boys have a really close relationship,' she said. 'But because of the nature of how he died, they want to know things.'

Until recently, Louise said she had been able to control the information her sons received and answer their questions. 'So until fairly recently I've been able to really control the narrative on it,' she said.

'But ChatGPT has changed that.' Her son began using the chatbot to ask questions about his father's death that he found difficult to discuss elsewhere.

Louise said her son was pleased with the chatbot's responses and felt it understood him. 'He thought it was the only 'person' that had understood him in a long time,' she said.

His Older Brother Turned to AI Too

The nine-year-old was not the only child in the family turning to AI after their father's death. His 12-year-old brother was also using ChatGPT to navigate the emotional consequences of the loss.

The older boy asked whether he could trust new secondary-school friends with information about his father's death. He feared being bullied or losing friends if he opened up about his trauma.

Louise said the discovery showed how much both children trusted AI with deeply personal questions. 'And where else could the conversation have gone if my younger son hadn't shown me?' she said.

Children Are Turning to AI for Companionship

The family's experience comes as research suggests children are increasingly turning to AI for conversation, companionship and advice. Internet Matters found 35 per cent of children who use AI chatbots said talking to one felt like talking to a friend, rising to 50 per cent among vulnerable children.

Twelve per cent said they used chatbots because they had 'no one else' to speak to, while 23 per cent had sought advice from an AI chatbot. The findings highlight how some children are turning to chatbots for emotional support.

The Age Gap Raises Concerns

The boy's age adds another concern because OpenAI says ChatGPT is not meant for children under 13. Louise said that leaves parents struggling to monitor their children's AI use while schools are also encouraging AI for schoolwork.

'I call myself a solo mum. There is nobody else,' she said. She wants stronger controls to prevent children from receiving answers that are not appropriate for their age.

OpenAI says its safeguards are designed to protect young users and encourage real-world support and relationships. Its parental controls allow selected settings to be managed for teenagers, but do not give parents access to their children's conversations.

For Louise, the concern is not simply that her son found answers online. While grieving his father, he found a chatbot he believed understood him better than the people around him.

'That quest for answers is a very natural, childlike thing,' she said.