BREAKING: Local Family Forced to Communicate Raw After Holiday Wi-Fi Failure Cuts Off Access to ChatGPT.

Chris T Tide | Foreign Correspondent | Sutherland Shire Gazette

29 Devember 2025

A local family holiday has descended into low-level emotional chaos after a Cronulla couple discovered their South Coast rental had unreliable internet, effectively cutting them off from ChatGPT - the primary tool they use to communicate civilly with relatives.

The incident occurred on day two of a week-long stay with in-laws, when the Wi-Fi dropped out mid-sentence while one family member was quietly drafting a “polite but firm” response to a comment about parenting choices.

Without access to their usual digital translator, the family was forced to speak directly to one another — a move experts describe as “dangerous.”

“I didn’t mean to snap,” said the woman at the centre of the incident. “But normally I’d run my response through ChatGPT first so it sounds calm, reasonable and emotionally mature. Instead I just… spoke. And now everyone’s upset.”

Witnesses report the situation escalated quickly. A passive-aggressive remark went un-softened. A joke landed without context. Someone said “I’m just saying” and meant it.

Her husband confirmed the family had become heavily dependent on AI mediation over the past year. “We don’t argue anymore,” he said. “We prompt. Then we paste. Then we nod.”

The breaking point came when the woman received feedback from her sister-in-law and had no way to ask ChatGPT how to respond without “making it worse but still standing her ground.”

“She just stared into the middle distance,” he said. “That’s when I knew things were bad.”

By night three, the family was rationing mobile data, not for Netflix, but for emotional regulation. One member reportedly drove to the nearest McDonald’s car park “to download a calm but assertive message.”

Local psychologists say the case highlights a growing trend. “These families aren’t dysfunctional,” one said. “They’re just used to having a neutral third party rewrite their thoughts.”

At press time, the Wi-Fi had returned briefly, restoring peace.

But the family admits trust has been shaken.

“Next year,” the woman said, “we’re not booking anywhere unless it lists ChatGPT-compatible internet.”

Because raw communication, it turns out, is not for the faint-hearted.