Read Mayfly by Peter Watts, one of my favorite hard sf short stories that deals with a child being raised in a computer, sorta.
Also, here's the article in question in question. It's written as a sort of joke about the supposedly serious article on the same topic in daily mail which I haven't read yet.
Soon it will be too expensive for any working class person to ever raise a child. Luckily, for a simple monthly payment of just 19.99, they won't have to have a real kid! They can get the entire child rearing experience virtually! Your heart will swell when your virtu-child starts their first year of virtu-kindergarden (not included with basic plan) ! Tired of dealing with your virtu-child's terrible twos? Just age them forward! For 19.99, you can get all the joy of raising a child, without ever having to confront your own fundamental alienation or the all-consuming commodification of the human experience under capitalism!