It feels to me like an autopilot problem in the making. "This thing means that you don't have to keep your eyes on the road - but please ensure you keep your eyes on the road, in case of errors"
Anyway, it creates the very problem you mentioned but just replace "road" with "outside the cockpit".
You can use them all you like. You just can't fly in conditions where you have to use them.
What do you mean by this? Not having an IFR rating does not mean you're not allowed to use the navigation aids or the plane's autopilot.