OpenAI Launches “ChatGPT for Teens” with Stronger Safeguards for Ages 13 to 17
OpenAI is launching a version of ChatGPT designed for teenagers aged 13 to 17 with stronger protections. This new version includes content restrictions around things such as suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, and romantic or sexual chats. The idea is to guide teens toward healthy AI use in an age-appropriate environment without compromising their safety.
The teen version provides homework and study support designed to guide students to come up with answers on their own rather than simply spitting out answers and school essays. Furthermore, to prevent teenagers from developing unhealthy relationships or emotional overreliance, the chatbot is prevented from suggesting it has personal feelings toward the user or implying that it is conscious or experiences emotions. While OpenAI does not verify users’ ages directly, it uses age assurance to estimate if someone is under 18 based on factors such as their types of queries, automatically placing identified minors into the teen version of the chatbot.
The system also offers advanced parental controls; parents with linked teen accounts can set “quiet hours” when their teen cannot access ChatGPT and receive safety notifications in limited high-risk situations, such as the possibility of a user hurting themself. Company officials noted that the goal is to make sure teens are met with the right developmental stage-neither talking down to them like kids nor exposing them to inappropriate material-ensuring the platform remains safe by default even if parental controls are not used.