OpenAI launches ChatGPT for teens with added safety, parental controls

ChatGPT for Teens will automatically activate for users estimated to be under 18, offering stronger safeguards, parental controls and reminders to take breaks

OpenAI on Tuesday launched ChatGPT for teenage users aged 13 to 17, with stronger guardrails and parental controls, the company said in a press note. 

The new feature will activate automatically if ChatGPT’s systems estimate that a user is under 18. The company said such users are automatically placed into the "ChatGPT for Teens" experience to ensure their safety. 

“ChatGPT for Teens brings together learning and safety features in one unified experience, supporting active, collaborative learning outside the classroom while enabling more intentional and age-appropriate use of AI,” OpenAI said. 

Apart from this, some of the additional safety features include protections for any content that includes depiction of self-harm, or violence, dangerous activities, or any sexually explicit content, Pragya Misra, the head of strategy and global affairs for OpenAI in India, said. 

 

“During our own consumer research and analysis, we found that students in schools and colleges use ChatGPT the most. With that in mind, we started thinking of ways in which these students could have the full experience of using AI while also being safe,” Misra said. 

Apart from safety systems around explicit and graphic content, OpenAI will also allow parents to link their accounts to their teenager’s account to manage selected settings, such as setting "Quiet Hours", and receive safety notifications in limited high-risk situations. 

On the other hand, OpenAI will also send teenage users more frequent reminders to take breaks during extended use of the chatbot, the company said in the press note. 

The goal of introducing these safety measures for teenagers, as well as controls for parents, is to empower them to use AI confidently. A second outcome of these initiatives is that students will also be educated on the correct ways to use AI, Misra said.

Last year in July, OpenAI had introduced a "study mode" to help students work through problems instead of simply getting the answer to a question. Since its introduction, ChatGPT has become one of the most widely used learning tools for students worldwide, used for tackling challenging homework, preparing for exams, and exploring new concepts and ideas. 

For India, which ranks among the world’s most advanced markets for artificial intelligence (AI), particularly for coding, data analysis and complex reasoning, OpenAI had in July last year given away  500,000 free ChatGPT licences for six months to students and teachers in India across government schools from Classes 1 to 12, engineering and technical institutes, as well as K-12 educators. The programme for students and teachers is run under the OpenAI Learning Accelerator, an India-first initiative.

Commenting on the global policy approach of limiting the use of technology for children below the age of 16, Misra said most such discussions happen because of a lack of understanding of AI.