When Your Child’s New Best Friend Is Always Right, Always Calm, and Never Tired

There was a time—not very long ago—when parents were the smartest people in a child’s world.
Then school happened.
Then Google happened.
And now… AI has happened.

Today, children don’t ask, “Papa, how does this work?”
They ask, “Alexa, can you explain this in simple words?”

And Alexa does.
Patiently. Politely. Repeatedly.
Without sighing. Without multitasking. Without saying, “I already told you.”

Welcome to the age where Artificial Intelligence is quietly—and sometimes not so quietly—shaping how our children learn, think, behave, and even feel. Often while we’re busy searching for our reading glasses… that are already on our heads.

AI is no longer some distant future hiding in research labs. It lives in learning apps, games, smart toys, virtual assistants, and those “educational videos” that mysteriously autoplay just before midnight.

So let’s talk about it—not with alarm bells, but with curiosity and a bit of humour—because this story is unfolding right inside our homes.

The Tutor Who Never Loses Patience

AI-powered learning tools are, frankly, impressive.
They know exactly where your child struggles and where they fly. They slow down, speed up, repeat lessons, rephrase explanations, and never judge.

 “AI can teach, entertain, and support—but it cannot replace the beautiful messiness through which children learn to think, feel, and grow.”

Sonam Mallik, Head of Information Technology, Interarch Building Solutions Limited  

If your child gets multiplication wrong ten times, AI calmly tries an eleventh approach—no raised eyebrows, no frustration, no “How did you miss this?”

In many ways, AI is the tutor every exhausted parent wishes they could be at the end of a long workday.

Children feel supported. Confident. Understood.

But there’s a quiet side effect we don’t notice immediately.

When learning becomes frictionless, children may slowly lose their tolerance for effort. Confusion, struggle, trial-and-error—the messy parts of thinking—get edited out.

Why wrestle with a problem when help is always one click away?

The concern isn’t that children learn faster.
It’s that they may forget how to sit with difficulty—something real life rarely removes.

“Just One More Minute” (For the 12th Time)

If AI has a secret talent, it’s knowing exactly how long your child will stay glued to a screen.

Games adapt perfectly to skill levels. Videos queue themselves with surgical precision. Algorithms learn preferences faster than parents learn new slang.

And suddenly, the child who can’t sit still with a book for five minutes has been staring at a screen for 47 minutes with monk-like focus.

This is not accidental.
AI is designed to hold attention.

Over time, this can make real-world activities—homework, conversations, chores—feel painfully dull by comparison.

This is usually the moment when parenting turns into diplomacy, complete with negotiations, treaties, and dramatic walk-outs.

“Alexa Understands Me Better Than You”

AI assistants never interrupt.
They never say, “Wait, I’m busy.”
They never misunderstand tone.
They are always available—and always agreeable.

From a child’s perspective, they’re perfect conversational partners.

But real people aren’t like that. Real conversations have pauses, misunderstandings, disagreements, and awkward silences—and that’s how children actually learn social skills.

If most interactions happen with entities that always adapt to them, children may find it harder to practise patience, empathy, and emotional reading in real life.

After all, real friends don’t reboot when things get uncomfortable.

Watching Everything… All the Time

Modern parental control tools are astonishingly powerful. They track usage, filter content, flag risks, and generate reports that make parents feel like digital investigators.

From a safety point of view, it’s comforting.

From a child’s point of view, it can feel like living under a permanent CCTV camera.

Too much surveillance can quietly chip away at trust and independence. Children need guidance—but they also need room to make small mistakes and learn from them.

AI should help parents coach, not control.
Think seatbelt—not handcuffs.

Can a Chatbot Comfort You?

Some AI tools now offer emotional support—virtual pets, friendly avatars, chatbots that listen and respond with warmth.

For some children, this can be genuinely helpful.

But emotional maturity doesn’t grow from perfect responses. It grows from navigating disappointment, reading faces, repairing relationships, and dealing with emotions that don’t come with instant reassurance.

AI can simulate empathy.
It doesn’t feel it.

And life, unfortunately, doesn’t come with pre-programmed comfort messages.

When Games Feel More Real Than Reality

AI has made games immersive, adaptive, and deeply engaging. Characters respond intelligently. Stories change based on choices. Difficulty adjusts in real time.

This sharpens reflexes and problem-solving skills—but it can also make stepping away feel like losing something important… even when dinner is waiting.

Moderation isn’t about banning screens.
It’s about reminding children that joy exists beyond them too.

Thinking vs. Asking

AI is brilliant at giving answers.
Dangerously brilliant.

Children can now solve problems instantly—but sometimes without truly understanding them.

Thinking deeply requires time, silence, effort, and occasional frustration. If AI always fills the gap, children may lose the habit of mental exploration.

AI should stretch curiosity—not replace it.

Childhood, With a Data Trail

AI systems collect data—habits, preferences, behaviours. When children are involved, this matters.

Children can’t fully understand consent, yet their digital footprint begins early and lasts long.

Childhood memories should fade gently—not live forever on a server somewhere.

The Real Story

AI is powerful. Helpful. Remarkable.

But it is not a parent.
It cannot build character, teach values, or replace real connection.

Children don’t need less AI.
They need wiser adults guiding its use.

Let AI support learning—but let childhood remain noisy, curious, emotional, imperfect, and beautifully human.

Because the real goal isn’t to raise children who can talk effortlessly to machines.

It’s to raise humans who can think independently, feel deeply, and connect meaningfully—even when the battery dies and the Wi-Fi goes down.

About the author

Sonam Mallik has spent more than three decades at the crossroads of technology, business, and human behaviour. What began as an engineer’s curiosity about systems and processes gradually evolved into a deeper exploration of how organizations change—and why some transformations endure while others fade. As a C-suite IT leader and certified Business Excellence practitioner, he has helped organizations shape digital strategies and translate intent into outcomes, always with an eye on long-term value propositions rather than short-term wins.

Over the years, Sonam has learned that technology alone rarely transforms anything. Real change emerges from clarity of purpose, disciplined execution, and trust between people.

A keen observer of everyday experiences, he draws insights from legendary leaders to roadside rowdies, often reflecting on them through writing. His interests stem from an amalgamation of technology and human behaviour, but his enduring belief is simple: sustainable progress is built when human relationships are placed above corporate cacophony, and when learning remains a lifelong practice.