A child intently stares at a toy box in the toy section of a supermarket (Yonhap)
SEOUL, April 14 (Korea Bizwire) — From bedtime stories to discipline dilemmas, South Korean parents are increasingly turning to ChatGPT to help raise their children—ushering in what many see as the beginning of an AI-assisted parenting era.
The phenomenon, dubbed “ChatGPT parenting,” has taken off across online communities, where parents share how the generative AI tool not only provides quick answers to child-rearing questions but also reads books aloud, tutors toddlers, and even plays games.
For Moon Ye-na, a 33-year-old mother in Incheon, ChatGPT became an unexpected parenting ally. When her 28-month-old daughter hit her younger sibling over a toy, she asked the chatbot for advice. “ChatGPT explained that the behavior stemmed from insecurity and possessiveness,” she said.
“It suggested encouraging toy-sharing through positive reinforcement.” Moon likened the experience to consulting a virtual version of Korea’s famed pediatric psychologist, saying, “To me, ChatGPT is my ‘cyber Oh Eun-young.’”
Other parents report using ChatGPT to manage repetitive requests, such as one father in a viral YouTube video who delegates his daughter’s constant demands to count from one to the chatbot while he eats ramen in peace. The AI’s unflagging responses—“Of course! Let’s start again”—were met with amused praise from viewers, with many calling it a glimpse into “shared parenting with AI.”
Some even use ChatGPT to answer the relentless “why” questions posed by young children. One parent recounted inputting their son’s age and name into the AI’s settings to generate more relatable explanations. “When my 5-year-old kept asking why snails like water, ChatGPT gave age-appropriate, personalized answers that helped him understand.”
South Korean parents are increasingly turning to ChatGPT to help raise their children (Image created by AI/ChatGPT)
Online forums are filled with more creative uses: parents uploading images of English storybooks for ChatGPT to read aloud, engaging children in quiz games, or even asking the AI to interpret their child’s astrological signs.
Experts say the rise of ChatGPT parenting reflects a broader normalization of AI in daily life. “We’re entering an era where personalized AI tools will cater to niche interests, including childcare,” said Kim Myung-joo, professor of information security at Seoul Women’s University.
But not everyone is convinced. Dr. Ha Jung-hoon, pediatrician and author of the best-selling parenting guide Ppibbo Ppibbo 119 Pediatrics, warned of the dangers of inaccurate information. “What ChatGPT does best is make incorrect information sound convincing,” he said. “In parenting, even one mistake out of a hundred can have serious consequences. It’s still too early to entrust such delicate tasks to an AI that can’t discern right from wrong.”
As the technology continues to evolve, South Korean families may soon face a growing question: how much of parenting should be outsourced to machines—and at what cost?
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
