An Australian woman’s desperate cry for advice about her nephew went viral after she shared her observations on the AITA Reddit forum.

She describes that her sister and her husband have a ten-year-old boy whom she calls “Jimothy,” whom she occasionally looks after on weekends and mornings.

It was about a year ago when she first noticed a subtle and disturbing change in his behavior.

“The accent became stronger”

“About a year ago we noticed that Jimothy was starting to develop an American accent, even though we are Australian.

“Young children go through phases, so I didn’t want it to become a ‘thing.’ But over the next few months, the accent got stronger and Jimothy became more irritable.

“My husband and I discussed this with my sister, who said that Jimothy was not very grumpy around her. Then he lost interest in almost all the activities he used to enjoy.

“This was another cause for concern for me, as it got worse every weekend. He complained that he was bored, but when we gave him a detailed list of all the things we could do with him, he said no to every single one.”

She said when he returned to school earlier this year, his classmates asked him when he moved to Australia because his American accent was so strong.

“My husband and I were really wondering what happened.”

She realized what was really going on at his birthday party a few months later.

“He was sitting on an iPad scrolling through some kind of short form content that I didn’t recognize. His friends wanted to play with him and he just didn’t notice they were there. People were giving him gifts and he acted uncomfortable about having to turn the iPad off.

“Never before had one of my nieces or nephews reacted like this when I gave them money and tasty treats.

“I told my sister that something was wrong and that Jimothy was obviously not well. She seemed very offended that I was ‘questioning her parenting methods,’ as she put it, and she decided that my husband and I had to stop looking after Jimothy.”

“He was noticeably thinner”

At a recent family gathering, the woman said that Jimothy was completely fixated on the iPad.

“He was noticeably thinner, which I think was because he forgot to eat in favor of iPad time.

“I had to talk to my sister and her husband. I told them what I was thinking: a year ago, Jimothy was a lively child who got along well with everyone, but now he is withdrawn and you can see that he skips meals.

“My sister denied that Jimothy’s behavior had changed, but her husband admitted that I was right to some extent and that Jimothy’s friends had stopped going out with him because he always said no. I told my sister that she was ruining Jimothy’s life by continuing to allow this iPad thing to happen.

“She started yelling at me and I left the party.”

Hundreds of people commented on the post to tell the OP that she is not the asshole in this situation and that she obviously only cares about her nephew.

“The boy is obviously addicted to the iPad, which is a big concern,” said one of the respondents.

“If his parents aren’t listening, maybe OP can bring this up with his teacher/school or someone else who might be able to help the parents understand that there is real cause for concern or involve a child health authority?”

Another agreed: “The boy’s condition is obviously deteriorating. I wouldn’t be surprised if he grows up with depression and anxiety as he deals with social interactions at school and work. It’s good that you and your husband are taking care of Jimothy. At the end of the day, you were trying to help, so let them solve the coming problems themselves that will surely arise in the future.”

“The iPad could be a coping mechanism”

One astute user suggested that while using the iPad was a problem, it was more of an effect than the actual cause of his problems.

“If he is suffering from anxiety and/or depression, the iPad can be a coping mechanism and a form of ‘self-treatment’ for the symptoms. It seems like a professional could give them all some healthier tips on how to deal with normal teen anxiety.

“This is the age when social dynamics really start to change, and avoiding it all isn’t the best way to deal with it, but it may not be the cause. In other words, just taking away the iPad and nothing else can be harmful.”

Finally, people were convinced that it was not too late to intervene and get help.

“Your son needs help, and she needs it now. She made a mistake as a mother, but right now it’s still correctable. But if she continues to ignore him, he won’t. She just needs to realize that before it’s too late.”