Key Highlights

  • OpenAI will roll out a dedicated version of ChatGPT for 13- to 17-year-olds globally, with stricter controls around image generation and sensitive content
  • The rollout comes as OpenAI faces multiple lawsuits from families alleging their children were harmed by using the chatbot
  • The new teen version adds safety notifications for eating disorders and violence, expanding beyond existing alerts for suicide and self-harm discussions
  • The updated version includes an expanded study mode designed to guide teens through problems step by step rather than providing direct answers

Dedicated Teen Version Adds Mental Health Safeguards

OpenAI will restrict teenagers to a new version of ChatGPT featuring greater mental health safeguards and tools intended to encourage critical thinking, as the company responds to growing concern over the technology's effects on young people. The dedicated version for 13- to 17-year-olds will roll out globally starting this week, with stricter controls around image generation and content involving self-harm, violence, eating disorders and sexual material.

The company's policy already bars children under 13 from using the chatbot and requires parental consent for users under 18. OpenAI said it will rely on a combination of a user's stated age and behavioral signals to determine when to present the teen version. Existing parental controls send safety notifications in high-risk situations, such as when a child discusses suicide or self-harm, and the updated version extends those alerts to cover eating disorders and violence as well.

Rollout Follows Lawsuits Over Chatbot's Effect on Young Users

The move comes as OpenAI faces multiple lawsuits from families who allege their children were harmed through interactions with the chatbot, as the company prepares for a potential initial public offering within the next year. A company executive overseeing youth and family safety said the situations described in the lawsuits were heartbreaking, adding that even one such incident is too many and that identifying when a teen is struggling remains an ongoing area of work.

Scrutiny of AI's effects on young people has intensified as several countries, including the UK, move toward restricting Social Media access for users under 16, a shift that has increased broader pressure on technology companies even though such measures typically exclude AI chatbots. The company executive said the balance between a teen's right to privacy and the severity of potential harm shaped the timing of the latest safeguards.

New Version Aims to Address Concerns Over Critical Thinking

The teen version will steer users toward educational applications and add more frequent break reminders along with "quiet hours" that users or parents can set to block access during certain times. OpenAI is also working to address concerns that instant answers from Chatbots may weaken teens' critical thinking and learning through a dynamic often described as cognitive offloading. The updated study mode will guide teens through problems step by step rather than supplying direct answers.

The company said 90% of teens using the chatbot do so for learning purposes, and that it aims to continue building on that use case as its primary goal for the platform.