OpenAI on Tuesday launched a version of ChatGPT tailored for minors, with parental controls and enhanced security features, as online platforms face scrutiny over the risks of AI chatbots.
The new "ChatGPT for Teens" mode will limit conversations about high-risk topics such as self-harm, violence and eating disorders, while offering educational tools that help students learn instead of sharing the answer, OpenAI said in a blog post.
It will automatically activate when a user is believed to be under 18, or reports their age as between 13 and 17, and will enable parents to set "Quiet Hours," adjust specific settings, and receive alerts when teens talk about sensitive subjects.
The decision places the ChatGPT developer alongside major tech firms like Meta, which have strengthened safeguards for teenagers on their platforms in response to escalating legal challenges and mounting evidence of negative impacts on youth mental health.
Increasing efforts by governments worldwide to prohibit social media use among teens due to these harms have further intensified the pressure.
For OpenAI, which is already confronting several lawsuits claiming that ChatGPT has harmed children, the difficulty is heightened by the growing tendency to treat humanlike conversational chatbots as trusted confidants that provide emotional support.
Experts have cautioned that depending on automated systems for mental health guidance can be dangerous.
Families of individuals who allegedly died following interactions with chatbots have condemned the absence of adequate protections, while the increasing use of AI by students to complete assignments has sparked worries about its detrimental impact on education.
OpenAI stated that they believe AI ought to broaden access to education, which led them to create ChatGPT for Teens to assist during learning moments beyond the classroom when support may not be readily available.
The new mode has educational tools such as a study mode for guided learning, homework reminders, quizzes and visualizations.
The Pew Research Center found earlier this year searching for information and getting homework help were the most common ways U.S. teenagers used AI, followed by fun and entertainment.
OpenAI, which requires users to be at least 13 years old or meet the minimum legal age in their country, stated that it will estimate a user's age using a combination of self-reported information, behavioral and account indicators, and verification methods.
The company added that when a user's age cannot be confidently determined, it will automatically apply the more protective settings.
