Aussie kids relying on AI: Huge percentage of parents suspect their child using AI for emotional support
New research has shown that Australian children integrate artificial intelligence into their lives.
One of the most confronted findings of the study was that 40 percent of Aussie parents suspected that their children used AI for emotional support or friendship.
Posted on 5 August, 2025 Cyber Safety Analysis Report: Connected Children Carried out by the study Norton And how the types of children’s AI tools are directed and how these tendencies intersect with the darker side of the online, including cyberbulling.
According to the study, 36 percent of parents say that their children use chatgpt, 28 percent use AI school vehicles such as grammar.
The screen time is becoming a central pole of many Aussie children’s life, and parents explain that they have dived on average of 3.34 hours a day.
While AI can be used as a training tool, the study also found that 15 percent of Aussie children experienced cyber bullying and 31 percent were caught online after bedtime.
Norton General Manager Mark Gorrie said, “We witness a generation change in the search for children to establish relationships, express themselves and seek support – and are increasingly shaped by digital vehicles including AI,” he said.
“This can be a difficult area for parents, especially when children often adopt new technologies than us. This gap can leave a step while trying to support their children online.
“From managing the screen time to respond to emotional trust in technology, today’s parents face difficulties that did not exist ten years ago. Digital vehicles offer incredible opportunities and come with new risks.”
Australian Youth Digital Index 2024It confirms the increasing dependence of young people on digital vehicles for safety, connection and emotional prosperity, participating in more than 4,700 Australian surveys between 8-25 years of age.
However, as new platforms and behaviors emerge, many parents play captures; Especially today’s children received a phone until the age of 12, while Gen X and Boomer parents could not get theirs until the age of 24 and 41, respectively.
The connected children’s report emphasizes that as children interact with technology earlier and more frequently, it is necessary for parents to be proactive, informed and involved.
