OpenAI announced the rollout of ChatGPT for Teens, a dedicated account tier designed for users under 18 with enhanced safety protections. The new service includes several features aimed at promoting healthy engagement with the AI chatbot, such as the ability to disable human voice responses to reduce the anthropomorphic nature of interactions, periodic reminders encouraging users to take breaks from the tool, and notifications clarifying that ChatGPT is artificial intelligence rather than a sentient being.
The company stated that teen accounts will become the default for users who identify as teenagers during signup or whom OpenAI identifies as under 18 years old. Children under 13 are prohibited from using the service. The teen tier incorporates Study Mode functionality, previously launched for students, which allows ChatGPT to discuss schoolwork without directly revealing answers. Users can now designate Study Mode hours to make it the default setting and establish “quiet times” during which the tool becomes inaccessible.
OpenAI is implementing parental notifications for specific categories of concerning requests, including those related to eating disorders. The company stated it will have humans review each alert before sending it to linked parent accounts, with a target delivery time of within an hour of the flagged request. According to OpenAI, approximately nine out of ten young people using ChatGPT utilize it for educational purposes.
The initiative follows a model similar to protections offered by major social networks and comes as other major AI providers have taken varying approaches to younger users. Anthropic’s Claude remains restricted to adults only, while Google initially limited access to its Gemini tool when it launched. The move occurs amid ongoing discussions about AI regulation for minors, with the UK government having previously considered restrictions on chatbots for under-18s as part of broader child safety reforms.
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