![\"Elementary](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2219686550.jpg\")
\n\t\tIt\u2019s no surprise the internet-age children are starting to use ChatGPT, but how is it affecting their development?(Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tIt\u2019s no surprise the internet-age children are starting to use ChatGPT, but how is it affecting their development?(Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
It began with snide looks and remarks and ended up in full-on bullying with 11-year-old Sophie* coming home from school<\/a> one day in tears.<\/p>\n When her mum asked what was wrong, she discovered that Sophie\u2019s friends had turned their backs on her, leaving the little girl feeling confused, bereft and isolated.<\/p>\n \u2018I noticed the way they were talking to her on the weekend; just being cruel and asking her pointed questions about what she was wearing and why,\u2019 Sophie\u2019s mum, Ella*, tells Metro<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2018When she went back to school<\/a> on the Monday, one girl had got the whole group to stop talking to her. Sophie went to sit down on the table at lunch, and they all got up and moved. <\/p>\n \u2018These are girls she\u2019d grown up with. Later in the playground, they told her: \u201cSorry, we\u2019re not allowed to play with you\u201d and walked off.\u2019 <\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSign up for all of the latest stories\t\t\t<\/p>\n Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates<\/a><\/strong> newsletter or get Breaking News<\/a> <\/strong>alerts the moment it happens. <\/p>\n While Ella and her husband did their best to support their daughter, Sophie was growing increasingly anxious<\/a> and eventually turned to an unlikely source for advice.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018Sophie had seen me use ChatGPT<\/a> to help write emails, so she started to have a go. Using my phone, she asked how to deal with bullying<\/a>, how to get more friends, and how to make people like her.<\/p>\n \u2018At first I was a bit alarmed because you can ask it anything and it will give you answers. I was worried about what she wanted to know. But it turned out Sophie found it a real comfort,\u2019 remembers Ella.<\/p>\n \u2018She told me she could talk to it and it spoke back to her like a real human. She would explain what was going on and it would say things like: \u201cI hope you\u2019re okay Sophie\u201d, and \u201cthis is horrible to hear.\u201d I had to explain to her that it\u2019s not real, that it has been taught to seem empathetic.\u2019<\/p>\n Ella admits she was surprised that ChatGPT could prove a useful tool<\/a> and was just grateful that her daughter had found an outlet for her anxiety.<\/p>\n And while adults may be equally impressed and daunted by the unstoppable march of artificial intelligence, one in five under-12s are already using it at least once a month, according to the Alan Turing Institute<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n It means an\u00a0 increasing number of primary-age children are growing reliant on AI for everything, from entertainment tp emotional support. However, although many parents like Ella might feel it\u2019s a help rather than a hindrance, a new report, Me, Myself and AI<\/a>, from Internet Matters, has discovered that children are often being fed inaccurate information, inappropriate content and even forming complicated relationships with chatbots.\u00a0<\/p>\n There\u2019s also fears over the long-term impact it will have on children\u2019s education<\/a> with kids \u2013 and parents \u2013\u00a0 using it to help with homework.<\/p>\n \t\t One teacher from Hertfordshire<\/a>, who has been asked to remain nameless, had to throw out one child\u2019s work as it had clearly been lifted straight from Chat GPT.<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018It was a 500-word creative writing task and a few hadn\u2019t been written by the children. One of them I could just tell \u2013 from knowing the child\u2019s writing in class \u2013 it was obvious. They\u2019d gone into chat and submitted it online via Google<\/a> Classroom.<\/p>\n \u2018It was a real shame. I think it can be useful but children need to be taught how to use it, so it\u2019s a source of inspiration, rather than providing a whole piece of writing.\u2019<\/p>\n Fellow educator Karen Simpson is also concerned that her pupils have admitted using AI for help with homework<\/a>, creative writing, project research and language and spelling.<\/p>\n The primary and secondary tutor<\/a> of more than 20 years, tells Metro<\/strong>: \u2018I have experienced children asking AI tools to complete maths problems or write stories for them rather than attempting it themselves. They are using it to generate ideas for stories or even full pieces of writing, which means they miss out on practising sentence structure, vocabulary and spelling. And they use it to check or rewrite their work, which can prevent them from learning how to edit or improve their writing independently.<\/p>\n \u2018Children don\u2019t experience the process of making mistakes, thinking critically and building resilience,\u2019 adds Karen, from Invervness. \u2018These skills are essential at primary level. AI <\/a>definitely has its place when used as a support tool for older learners but for younger children, it risks undermining the very skills they need for future success.\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t Mark Knoop\u2019s son, Fred, uses ChatGPT for every day tasks and admits he\u2019s been impressed by what he\u2019s seen.\u00a0<\/p>\n As a software engineer and the founder of EdTech start up\u202fFlashily, which helps children learn to read, it\u2019s unsurprising he might be more open to the idea, but Mark firmly believes that artificial intelligence can open doors for young people when used with adult guidance.<\/p>\n He explains that after giving his son, then seven, his tablet to occupy him while he was at the barbers, the schoolboy used ChatGPT to code a video game.<\/p>\n \u2018Fred has always been into computers and gaming, but with things like Roblox and Minecraft, there is a barrier because systems are so complicated. When I grew up with a BBC Micro, you could just type in commands and run it; it was very simple,\u2019 Mark tells Metro.<\/p>\n \u2018Using ChatGPT<\/a>, off his own back, Fred created the character, its armour and sword and wrote a game that works. It is amazing to me and really encouraging.\u2019<\/p>\n A scroll through Fred\u2019s search history shows how much he uses ChatGPT now; to find out about Japan <\/a>and China<\/a>, to research his favourite animal \u2013 pandas, or to identify poisonous plants. He also uses the voice function to override the time it would take to type prompts, and Mark has seen how the model has protected Fred from unsuitable content.<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018For his computer game, he wanted a coconut to land on one character\u2019s head, in a comedy way, rather than a malicious one. But ChatGPT refused to generate the image, because it would be depicting injury. For me, ChatGPT is a learning aid for young children who have got lots of ideas and enthusiasm to get something working really quickly,\u2019 he adds.<\/p>\n Other parents aren\u2019t so sure, however. Abiola Omoade, from Cheltenham<\/a>, regrets the day she bought a digital assistant, which she thought would provide music and entertainment, but has instead hooked her primary age sons\u2019 ever-increasing attention.<\/p>\n \u2018I bought them a wall clock to help them learn to read the time. But they just ask Alexa<\/a>,\u2019 the mother-of-three says with irritation.<\/p>\n Abiola encourages reading, is hot on schoolwork and likes her sons Daniel and David to have inquisitive minds. But she\u2019s noticed that instead of asking her questions, they now head straight for the AI assistant<\/a>, bypassing other lines of conversation and occasionally getting incorrect answers.<\/p>\n \u2018Alexa has meant they have regressed. My son Daniel, 9, plays Minecraft<\/a>, and he will ask how to get out of fixes, which means it is limiting his problem solving skills. And where they would once ask me a question, and it would turn into a conversation, now they go straight to Alexa<\/a>, which bothers me as I know the answers aren\u2019t always right, and they lack nuance and diversity. AI is shutting down conversation and I worry about that.<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018They ask Alexa everything, because it is so easy. But I worry the knowledge won\u2019t stick and because it is so readily-accessible, it will affect their memory as they aren\u2019t making an effort to learn new things. I fear that AI is going to create a generation of empty-heads who are overly reliant on tech.\u2019<\/p>\n Tutor Karen adds that the concern is AI often denies children of important tools that they need to learn from an early age.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018For younger children, the priority should be building strong, independent learning habits first. Primary school is a critical stage<\/a> for developing foundational skills in reading, writing, and problem-solving. If children start relying on AI to generate ideas or answers, they may miss out on the deep thinking and practice required to build these skills.\u2019<\/p>\n Meanwhile, AI trainer Dr Naomi Tyrell issues a stark warning. The advisor to the Welsh government, universities and charities cites a case in which an American teenager died by suicide shortly after an AI chatbot encouraged him to \u2018come home to me as soon as possible<\/a>.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018Cases like this are heartbreaking\u2019, Dr Tyrell tells Metro<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018There are no safeguards and the tools need stronger age verification \u2013 just like social media. Ofcom warned about AI risks to young people in October 2024 and while the UK\u2019s Online Safety Act<\/a> is now enforceable, there really needs to be more AI literacy education \u2013 for parents as well as children. We know children often learn things quicker than us and can circumvent protections that are put in place for them.\u2019<\/p>\n And just like the advent of social media, the pace of change in AI will be so fast, that legislation will struggle to keep up, Naomi warns.<\/p>\n \u2018That means children are vulnerable unless we consciously and conscientiously safeguard them through education and oversight. I would not recommend that under-12s use AI tools unsupervised, unless it has been specially designed for children and has considered their safety in its design<\/p>\n \u2018We know what has happened with safeguarding children\u2019s use of social media \u2013 laws and policy have not kept up despite there being significant evidence of harm. Children\u2019s use of AI tools is the next big issue \u2013 it feels like a runaway train already, and it will have serious consequences for children.\u2019<\/p>\n *Names have been changed<\/p>\n \t\t\tComments Arrow Arrow![\"Young](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2204906139.jpg\")
\n\t\tElla believes that AI tools where a positive force in helping her daughter find her feet after being bullied at school(Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"AI](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2169079907.jpg\")
\n\t\tEvidence of AI usage is becoming increasing common in primary and secondary school students(Picture: Getty Images\/fStop)<\/p>\n![\"Girl](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-1875363950.jpg\")
\n\t\tTeachers are concerned that dependence on AI tools are reducing children\u2019s ability to work independently (Picture: Getty Images\/fStop)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Mark-and-son-owner-supplied_-765a.png\")
\n\t\tMark believes ChatGPT is a positive aid for young children, finding that the program supports his son\u2019s creativity(Picture: Supplied)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Capture-a415-e1753879554551.png\")
\n\t\tAbiola regrets buying a digital assistant, fearing it\u2019s harming her children\u2019s memory and problem-solving skills (Picture: Supplied)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Naomi-Tyrrell-32dd-e1753879244772.jpeg\")
\n\t\tAI trainer Dr Naomi Tyrell warns that AI platforms need stronger age verification, and that under 12s should not be using programs unsupervised (Picture: Supplied)<\/p>\n
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