Perhaps parent finds the physical manifestation of virtual girlfriends gross - i.e. sexbots. The confusion may be some people reading "a body" as referring to a human being vs a smart sex doll controlled by an AI.
The single most natural part? Doubt
Humans desiring physical connection is just about the single most natural part of the human experience - i.e: from warm snuggling to how babies are made.
That is gross to you?