OpenAI Launches ‘ChatGPT for Teens’ With New Youth Safety Protections

OpenAI is rolling out a new “ChatGPT for Teens” experience with additional safety protections for users under 18 as the company faces growing scrutiny over the potential risks artificial intelligence chatbots pose to young people.

The new experience combines several youth safety tools that OpenAI has introduced over the past year, the company said Tuesday.

Among the new features are reminders encouraging teens to take a break after using ChatGPT for 90 minutes within a three-hour period. Teens and parents will also be able to establish “Quiet Hours,” when ChatGPT is unavailable, and “Study Hours,” when the platform’s study mode is automatically enabled.

OpenAI said it has also strengthened protections designed to prevent ChatGPT from expressing personal feelings toward users. The company is adding warnings for teens who attempt to upload private or sensitive images.

Users who identify themselves as under 18 when signing up will automatically receive the additional protections. OpenAI also says it is using artificial intelligence to estimate users’ ages and will apply the safeguards to people suspected of being under 18, regardless of the birthdate listed on their account.

Lauren Jonas, OpenAI’s head of youth and families, described the new offering as a learning-focused experience designed specifically for teenagers.

The move comes as ChatGPT faces increasing scrutiny over its use by young people. Concerns have included exposure to inappropriate content, loneliness, learning and mental health.

Nearly one-third of American teenagers use AI chatbots every day, according to a Pew Research Center study published in December. ChatGPT was the most popular chatbot among teens surveyed.

OpenAI has also faced multiple lawsuits from families who allege that conversations with ChatGPT contributed to or encouraged harm involving their children. The company has disputed those allegations and says it has continued strengthening its safety systems.

OpenAI introduced additional parental controls last year, including options to disable features such as memory and chat history. The company also added notifications for parents when its systems detect what it describes as a moment of acute distress involving their child.

The company said Tuesday that it plans to add alerts related to eating disorders in the coming weeks.

OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman have faced additional legal challenges involving alleged safety failures. Families of victims of a school shooting in British Columbia sued the company earlier this year, alleging that ChatGPT was complicit in injuries or deaths involving their children. OpenAI said it had strengthened its safeguards.

Florida also sued OpenAI and Altman in June, alleging that the company failed to adequately address safety risks for minors. OpenAI has said it has implemented industry-leading protections and policies.

The company is also facing scrutiny after a Massachusetts case involving a 17-year-old who prosecutors said had conversations with ChatGPT about ideas or fantasies involving killing family members before the deaths of his mother and brother.

OpenAI's head of youth and families acknowledged that the safety challenges remain significant.

“Any one of these instances is too many,” Jonas said.

“Our safety work is never done,” she added, describing youth safety as a continuous effort to provide young users with appropriate protections and support.