ChatGPT Launches a Version of Its Model for Teens

OpenAI announced Tuesday that it’s launching a version of ChatGPT intended for teenagers, amid concerns about how younger people interact with generative AI tools. 

Users between the ages of 13 and 17 will automatically use the teen-specific version, which will feature parental controls, stronger safeguards and notifications prompting them to take breaks. Many AI companies, including Google, allow people aged 13 or older to use their chatbots, while Anthropic requires users to be 18 or older. 

OpenAI says it created ChatGPT for Teens with four guidelines in mind:  “put teen safety first, encourage real-world support, treat teens like teens and be transparent about how our systems should behave.”

Makers of AI chatbots have faced widespread questions and criticism over a lack of guardrails in their products, which many people use every day.

The protections now being folded into chatbots are similar to those built into Instagram teen accounts.

The teen experience in ChatGPT 

OpenAI says its model for teens is intended to “expand educational opportunity” and to provide support outside the classroom. 

ChatGPT for Teens includes a new Study Mode that provides step-by-step guidance on concepts and homework materials, while also detecting when students attempt to use the model as a shortcut for cheating. With the Study Hours feature, teenage students and parents can set parameters to have Study Mode turn on by default.

ChatGPT for Teens will also feature quizzes and visualizations intended to support learning. 

“Not every student has someone at home who can help when they get stuck or have questions with their homework. With the right guardrails, AI can help fill that gap,” Racquel Gibson, a Miami high-school math teacher, said in OpenAI’s blog post about ChatGPT for Teens. 

ChatGPT for Teens includes built-in protections against overuse and is designed to help prevent emotional dependency, including the chatbot becoming a substitute for real-world companionship and relationships. A survey released last year by Common Sense Media found that 72% of teens regularly use chatbots for companionship and advice. 

In its press release, OpenAI states this teen experience is designed to “support real-world relationships and healthy habits, with break reminders that encourage teens to step away, and product cues that consistently identify ChatGPT as AI.”

The model will reportedly block attempts at romantic or sexual roleplay and will not respond to prompts in a way that will imply it has feelings or consciousness. Other teen safeguards will include reminders cautioning teens not to share sensitive information or images, as well as onboarding instructions on how best to use the chatbot safely. 

OpenAI has repeatedly come under fire for ChatGPT’s sycophancy and its lack of age-specific safety measures to prevent young people from becoming dependent, resulting in a slew of legal actions. 

One lawsuit involved a family who alleged that their 16-year-old son took his own life after the chatbot encouraged his suicidal ideation. The publicity led OpenAI to pledge to add safeguards to its models and to introduce parental controls in September 2025. 

OpenAI, Advocacy Groups and State Officials Want Tougher AI Rules to Protect Kids

Macy is a writer on the AI Team. She covers how AI is changing daily life and how to make the most of it. This includes writing about consumer AI products and their real-world impact, from breakthrough tools reshaping daily life to the intimate ways people interact with AI technology day-to-day. Macy is a North Carolina native who graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a BA in English and a second BA in Journalism. You can reach her at mmeyer@cnet.com.

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