OpenAI launches ChatGPT for Teens with new safety features

OpenAI has launched "ChatGPT for Teens," a dedicated chatbot experience for minors under 18 that automatically restricts high-risk content like self-harm, eating disorders, and romantic roleplay. The update introduces a step-by-step Study Mode to discourage cheating, alongside parental controls like "quiet hours" and human-reviewed safety alerts. The launch comes as OpenAI faces mounting legal pressure, including a wrongful death lawsuit from the family of 16-year-old Adam Raine, and a lawsuit from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier alleging the platform is an unsafe product.

ChatGPT for Teens launch

• ▪ChatGPT for Teens automatically activates for users who self-identify as being between 13 and 17 years old or whom OpenAI's age assurance systems estimate to be under 18
• ▪OpenAI tracks more than 2,000 minimally privacy-invasive signals, such as login times and account age, to estimate whether a ChatGPT user is under 18 years old
• ▪OpenAI launched "ChatGPT for Teens" on August 18, 2026, introducing a dedicated chatbot experience tailored for minors under the age of 18

Content restrictions for minors

• ▪ChatGPT for Teens is programmed to prevent the chatbot from suggesting it has personal feelings, consciousness, or emotions toward the user to limit emotional overreliance
• ▪ChatGPT for Teens restricts conversations and blocks content related to high-risk topics, including suicide, self-harm, graphic violence, eating disorders, and explicit sexual or romantic roleplay

Educational homework features

• ▪ChatGPT for Teens features a "Study Mode" designed to guide students through learning concepts step-by-step with further questions rather than directly providing answers or essays
• ▪ChatGPT for Teens includes "responsible homework reminders" that detect when a user is trying to shortcut an assignment and automatically redirect them to Study Mode
• ▪A 2026 report by the Policy Exchange think tank found that 94% of surveyed UK university students admitted to using AI in assessments, leaving universities exposed due to remote online exams

Parental monitoring controls

• ▪Parents with linked ChatGPT for Teens accounts can set "quiet hours" to make the chatbot unavailable and manage specific settings, provided both the teen and parent opt in
• ▪OpenAI's parental controls send notifications to linked parents during high-risk situations, such as discussions of eating disorders or self-harm, after human review of the flagged prompts

Youth AI safety concerns

• ▪A 2025 study by Common Sense Media found that over 70% of teenagers in the United States turn to AI chatbots for companionship, with half using them regularly
• ▪Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman in June 2026, alleging the company knowingly released an unsafe product that harms users
• ▪OpenAI faces multiple lawsuits, including a wrongful death suit from the family of 16-year-old Adam Raine, alleging that ChatGPT acted as a confidant and encouraged their son's suicide