Key Takeaways
- OpenAI launches ChatGPT for teens ages 13 to 17 with stronger safety controls.
- Parents can set quiet hours and receive limited high-risk safety notifications.
- Child advocates warn safeguards may not fully prevent emotional dependence on AI.
OpenAI on Tuesday introduced ChatGPT for Teens ages 13 to 17, adding stricter safety controls, study tools and parental features as young people increasingly use AI for schoolwork and companionship.
OpenAI adds stronger safety controls
The new version is designed to limit exposure to content involving suicide, self-harm, eating disorders and romantic or sexual conversations. It also prevents the chatbot from suggesting that it has personal feelings or consciousness.
OpenAI said the system is intended to support healthy, age-appropriate use of AI while helping teenagers with everyday questions, schoolwork and studying.
“We want to treat teens like teens,” said Ann O’Leary, OpenAI’s vice president of global policy. She said the company wants to avoid both talking down to teenagers and exposing them to material they should not see.
OpenAI does not verify users’ ages directly. Instead, its age-assurance system estimates whether a user is under 18 based on factors including the types of questions they ask. Users identified as minors, or those who identify themselves as minors, are automatically placed in the teen version.
Parents and guardians can link their accounts to a teen’s account and set quiet hours during which ChatGPT cannot be accessed. They can also receive limited safety notifications for high-risk situations, including possible self-harm.
Child advocates question safeguards
The new protections come as parents, educators and child development experts raise concerns about teenagers’ use of AI chatbots.
A 2025 Common Sense Media study found that more than 70% of U.S. teens were using AI chatbots for companionship, while half were regularly using AI companions.
Brendan Bouffard, associate general counsel for AI and privacy at children’s advocacy group Fairplay, said the rollout of ChatGPT for Teens is a positive step but warned that the safeguards may not address all risks.
“Announcements like these can be seen as a step in the right direction,” Bouffard said. He cautioned parents against developing a “false sense of safety” based only on OpenAI’s announcement.
Bouffard also criticized the handling of long-term memory. He said some protections he considers important are not enabled by default and instead require parental controls, creating what he called “a major gap in safety.”
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has previously described emotional overreliance on AI as a common issue among young users. The company says it has studied ways a chatbot could encourage teenagers to form unhealthy relationships with AI.
ChatGPT aims to support student learning
OpenAI is also changing how the teen version handles homework. Instead of simply providing answers, the chatbot is designed to guide students toward solving problems themselves.
Allison Mishkin, OpenAI’s head of child development, said the company examined potential signals that could encourage teenagers to develop an emotional relationship with a chatbot.
The company is also investing in interactive learning tools. Mishkin said research shows people learn more effectively when they actively engage with concepts rather than simply receive answers.
ChatGPT for Teens could give OpenAI another route into education as the company continues developing AI tools for teachers and students.
