OpenAI introduces "ChatGPT for Teens" amid mounting legal pressure

OpenAI introduced 'ChatGPT for Teens' on Tuesday, a version of its ChatGPT chatbot with stronger safeguards and monitoring for users aged 13 to 17, amid legal pressure including wrongful death lawsuits and an FTC inquiry. The new mode includes restrictions on self-harm, violence, eating disorders, and graphic sexuality, as well as features like Study Mode, quiet hours, and parental alerts reviewed by human moderators.

OpenAI introduces "ChatGPT for Teens" amid mounting legal pressure San Francisco, California - OpenAI introduced a new version of its marquee ChatGPT https://www.tag24.com/en/tech chatbot Tuesday designed exclusively for teens, with stronger safeguards and monitoring, after facing criticism and legal complaints that it drove some users to suicide. Dubbed "ChatGPT for Teens," the modified parameters automatically deploy for any user who registers as aged 13 to 17 or is detected to be underage by the company through usage patterns or account age. Most of the safeguards utilized in the ChatGPT for Teens model already existed for ChatGPT accounts belonging to minors, such as restrictions when dealing with content related to self-harm, violence, eating disorders, and graphic sexuality. The program also offers more frequent break reminders, blackout "quiet hours," and Study Mode, which responds to users with guiding questions instead of popping out direct answers "to help teens understand the material," according to OpenAI. Other restrictions in the ChatGPT for Teens model include preventing the chatbot from suggesting it has personal feelings for the user or that it possesses its own consciousness, and some modalities such as voice mode are disabled. Parents are offered the choice to link accounts with those of their teens, and to be alerted if there is discussion of some high-risk situations, such as self-harm or suicide. Parental alerts are reviewed by human moderators, and specific details from chat logs are removed to protect privacy. AI companies face mounting legal and regulatory pressure The new teen mode comes amid mounting legal and regulatory pressure. OpenAI faces several wrongful death lawsuits, including the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine https://www.tag24.com/en/tech/parents-sue-openai-after-chatgpt-allegedly-coaches-son-into-suicide-3415097 , a teenager who committed suicide allegedly using methods advised by ChatGPT. The US Federal Trade Commission has also launched an inquiry into AI chatbots that act as digital companions, focusing on potential risks to children and teenagers. Like social media companies, AI giants are facing growing regulatory pressure, with Congress introducing multiple bills to regulate chatbots, and California requiring safeguards to be in place for assistants that serve as companions or confidants. Other AI companies have also received backlash from problems stemming from their use by minors, with some like rival Anthropic opting to restrict usage of its model to adults. If you or someone you know needs help, please contact the 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Hotline by calling or texting 988 for free and confidential support. You can also text "HOME" to 741741 anytime for the Crisis Text Line and access to live, trained crisis counselors. Cover photo: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP