OpenAI to Launch Teen-Friendly ChatGPT With Parental Controls
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Key Points:
- OpenAI introducing a ChatGPT version for under-18 users at the end of September.
- Experience will block graphic content and include tools for parental oversight.
- Launch comes amid FTC probe into risks of AI chatbots for children and teens.
OpenAI announced Tuesday it will roll out a dedicated ChatGPT experience for teenagers, adding stronger safeguards and parental controls. The new version will automatically direct minors to an age-appropriate mode that filters out sexual and graphic material and can trigger law enforcement involvement in rare emergencies.
Parents will be able to link accounts, set usage blackout hours, disable specific features, and receive alerts if their teen appears in acute distress. OpenAI said the system will prioritize safety when there is uncertainty about a user’s age and will default to the under-18 experience.
The move comes as the Federal Trade Commission investigates OpenAI and other tech firms over potential harms to minors. It also follows public scrutiny, including a lawsuit blaming ChatGPT for a teen’s death. CEO Sam Altman said the goal is to balance safety with transparency, acknowledging the powerful influence of AI tools on younger users.
