> Secure and inexpensive as long as you don't mind paying with your privacy.
There are obvious alternatives to ChromeOS that are just as secure and just as inexpensive (especially if you have some old hardware just laying around, or else you can just buy refurbished hardware - just about anything made in the last 10 years will do, if not more than that) - and not any less useful than a Chromebook. And they can be updated for as long as the hardware keeps going - they won't suddenly become "unsupported" after a mere five years.
Yeah, if you're technical enough, then for now you can still install and run Linux. That's probably not an option for OP's parents.
You can easily imagine that in the future hardware manufacturers will remove the ability to install a 3rd party operating system. It's already essentially impossible on a locked-down Apple iOS appliance.
Chrome wins on the mom, grandpa, etc. can easily use it... I've yet to see an OS that is less locked down that's easier to use in practice. Yes, privacy concerns. That said, it's still what I recommend for MOST people not interested in gaming.
There are obvious alternatives to ChromeOS that are just as secure and just as inexpensive (especially if you have some old hardware just laying around, or else you can just buy refurbished hardware - just about anything made in the last 10 years will do, if not more than that) - and not any less useful than a Chromebook. And they can be updated for as long as the hardware keeps going - they won't suddenly become "unsupported" after a mere five years.