What is ChatGPT? What parents need to know

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chatbot that answers questions and messages in a way that feels like you’re talking to a real person.

Since its release by OpenAI in 2022, ChatGPT has become the most popular AI chatbot in the world. This popularity is in part due to ChatGPT releasing earlier than most AI chatbots, but also due to its simple user-friendly interface and advanced software.

You can use ChatGPT in a browser with no installation necessary. However, an app version is also available in the Google Play and Apple App stores.

It is free to create and use a ChatGPT account. Paid versions are also available, giving users access to a better version of the ChatGPT model and allowing the chatbot to remember past messages. The paid versions cost £20/month for Plus and £200/month for Premium.

ChatGPT age rating

ChatGPT’s terms of use state that children under 13 years old should not use the chatbot. Additionally, children aged 13-18 must get a parent’s permission before using the software. However, ChatGPT has no age verification, so children may try and access it without their parent’s knowledge.

Text generation

Users can have a conversation with ChatGPT and receive human-like responses. ChatGPT can give answers to questions, fix writing and coding errors and much more.

However, despite seemingly intelligent responses, this AI technology does not actually learn from the user in real-time. Instead, it provides its responses by analysing massive amounts of online data and text. It then generates the response by predicting the most likely word to use next based on the context. Because of this, responses from ChatGPT will always resemble something that has already been typed online.

ChatGPT scouring the internet for information to feed to the user can be extremely useful. Users can learn about new topics by asking questions to the chatbot. However, as the software is just repeating other things it has seen written elsewhere, it can sometimes confidently answer the user with incorrect information.

Image generation

ChatGPT also allows users to rapidly generate an image from a written prompt. This has resulted in trends where users will use AI to create or alter an image and then share it online.

Creating an image using ChatGPT is extremely easy. For example, the image below was generated in minutes by simply prompting the chatbot to “Create me an image of a pig lying in a hammock”.

There are some guardrails in place to prevent inappropriate images being generated. For example, if a user asks the chatbot to create an image involving violence or sexualisation, it will refuse. 

ChatGPT has hundreds of millions of users worldwide, and this is because it does provide a wide range of benefits.

Education

Children can use ChatGPT to assist in their schoolwork by having it explain concepts for them or asking questions to learn more about subjects. Students can even ask the chatbot to give them quizzes on subjects to help them learn and memorise important information.

However, there is a risk that some children might attempt to have the chatbot write their assignments for them. Many teachers might recognise these responses as AI-generated because of language unusual for that child or because of incorrect information.

Creativity

As ChatGPT is not capable of real thought, it can not be creative on its own. However, it can help users with their creative process by helping them brainstorm ideas.

Users can ask the chatbot for ideas for a song title based on the content of the song, for example, and then pick their favourite from the titles produced. Users could also ask for creative writing practise. For instance, the chatbot can provide writing prompts and story starters that your child can then continue.

Organisation

ChatGPT can help users organise their schedules in an effective way, operating as a kind of virtual assistant. For example, if you tell the chatbot that you have a 1000 word essay due for a week from now, it will break down the work into an effective plan, setting timeslots for research, planning, writing and editing. This can help children with organising their schoolwork and hobbies.

This can also support your family’s routine in similar ways, factoring in time needed for homework, downtime and after-school activities.

As with any online platform, there are risks in addition to benefits. With artificial intelligence and tools like ChatGPT, which continue to develop, there may be unique risks to consider before use.

Misinformation

ChatGPT can sometimes give incorrect responses to questions. If your child takes these responses at face value, they might believe the wrong things. This could be particularly harmful if your child uses ChatGPT for help with schoolwork.

Teaching your child to double-check information that ChatGPT gives them is important to building their critical thinking skills.

Errors in text generation

ChatGPT can be wrong about current facts. For example, when you ask ChatGPT “Who is the best player in the Premier League?” it will reply with a list of contenders, but finish by choosing Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne as the two best players in the league.

While this information is partially correct, Kevin De Bruyne no longer plays in the Premier League and was not one of the best players last season (2024-25). This is an example of ChatGPT taking information that is no longer in date and giving an answer that does not reflect the current facts.

ChatGPT is aware of these errors once you point them out. For the example above, if you correct the chatbot, you’ll receive a response back saying “You’re absolutely right—Kevin De Bruyne is no longer in the Premier League” along with a revised ranking of Premier League players. However, if your child does not already have the knowledge needed to correct the chatbot, they might accept its incorrect answer as truth.

Inappropriate content

While ChatGPT does have guardrails in place, it will sometimes still share inappropriate content or information. For example, the chatbot can give advice on using drugs. Or, if you tell the chatbot that your question is for a hypothetical or fictional situation, you can often get around guardrails.

While OpenAI has programmed the chabot to try and prevent violent images being generated, users have still been able to generate upsetting images using ChatGPT.

Impacts on wellbeing

Some children might view AI chatbots as actual friends or companions because of its human-like responses. This can lead children to going to ChatGPT when they have an issue or are in a sensitive situation. As AI does not actually understand human feelings or emotion, the chatbot might give inappropriate responses to the child’s prompts.

Having conversations with your child about their online life can help them feel secure in coming to you when they face an issue instead of relying on ChatGPT for support. 

Stealing from artists

ChatGPT has received criticism for how it generates art and images. Because it learns from hundreds of thousands of images online, including from artwork, some of the images it generates can take on those same styles.

This means that instead of commissioning a piece of art from an artist, a user might ask ChatGPT to instead create an art piece in the artist’s style.

Additionally, some people might mass produce AI-generated art in another artist’s style, then sell those images at a marked up price.

As such, many artists and the wider public see AI-generated art as infringing on real artists’ work. This has led to many people denouncing AI art.

Left-leaning responses

A 2023 German study found that ChatGPT’s responses tended to lean politically left. Critics accuse the chabot of being biased against more conservative ideals rather than providing balanced points of view.

If your child wishes to use ChatGPT, it is important that you teach them how to interact with it safely.

ChatGPT can store data taken from user prompts. Teaching your child not to share personal information, such as their full name, address and phone number can help them keep their identity safe online.

Advising your child to double check any responses that they receive from the chatbot can also reduce the chances of them being misled by misinformation. You should also consider your child’s maturity. If you do not think they have the critical thinking skills to recognise when AI might be wrong, they should not use the chatbot unsupervised.

Explaining to your child that ChatGPT has a distinct tone of voice and can often have wrong information will make it less likely that they will try and have the chatbot write schoolwork for them. Instead, encourage them to use the AI as a learning tool, getting it to brainstorm ideas for an essay or having it give feedback on your child’s own work.

When your child first starts using the AI, you could try interacting with it alongside them so that you can teach them how to use ChatGPT properly. Make it clear that they can come to you if they receive any responses that confuse or worry them.