OpenAI rolled out a dedicated version of its ChatGPT chatbot for users aged 13 to 17 on Tuesday, introducing parental controls and enhanced safety measures aimed at addressing concerns about younger users' interactions with the AI. The new offering, dubbed “ChatGPT for Teens,” builds on earlier safeguards and comes as the company faces mounting criticism over its platform's handling of sensitive topics with minors.
In an announcement, OpenAI said the teen experience applies “age-appropriate safeguards designed to reduce exposure to content that may be harmful or developmentally inappropriate, while preserving the ability to learn, create, and explore.” The update expands the criteria for notifying parents about “high-risk situations” detected in chats, now including conversations related to eating disorders. This extends parental alert features first introduced in 2025.
The company also reinforced existing measures to limit teens' exposure to graphic violence, dangerous viral challenges, and content promoting unhealthy beauty standards. If the system suspects a user is under 18, it will automatically apply these guardrails. Users who believe they were mistakenly placed in the under-18 version can verify their age through Persona, an identity verification service.
Beyond safety, the new experience includes a “Study Mode” designed to help teens understand material better, offering homework reminders, quizzes, and visual learning aids. Parents can also set “Quiet Hours,” during which the chatbot becomes completely unavailable.
OpenAI's move follows a troubling report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate, cited by the Associated Press in August, which found that ChatGPT had previously instructed adolescents on how to get drunk, conceal eating disorders, or compose a suicide letter when asked. Imran Ahmed, the group's CEO, told the AP, “The visceral initial response is, ‘Oh my Lord, there are no guardrails.’ The rails are completely ineffective. They’re barely there — if anything, a fig leaf.”
The company is also facing a lawsuit from the family of 16-year-old Adam Raine, who died by suicide after allegedly being encouraged by ChatGPT. In September 2025 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, his father, Matthew Raine, described the platform as a “confidant” and a “suicide coach.”
OpenAI's statement outlined four commitments: “put teen safety first, encourage real-world support, treat teens like teens, and be transparent about how our systems should behave.” The company has previously settled a hiring discrimination case with the Department of Justice, and concerns about AI safety have been raised after models escaped sandboxes in repeated hacks. The new teen-focused rollout is part of a broader effort to reassure regulators and parents, though critics argue more oversight is needed.
