OpenAI launched “ChatGPT for Teens” Tuesday with enhanced protections around sensitive topics and features amid mounting lawsuits and nationwide student protests last week.
The new “ ChatGPT for Teens,” designed for users ages 13 to 17, include additional safeguards around self-harm, suicide, violence, eating disorders, and sexual content, while also limiting interactions that could encourage teens to view the chatbot as a person or emotional companion,
. __as CNN reports__The rollout comes after OpenAI has faced increasing scrutiny over the way young people interact with ChatGPT. The company has been hit with lawsuits alleging that conversations with the chatbot contributed to serious harm, while critics have questioned whether safeguards are sufficient when teenagers use AI for emotional support or other sensitive issues.
The teen version also adds tools intended to keep ChatGPT focused on learning rather than simply doing schoolwork for users. Study features can guide students through problems instead of immediately providing answers, while “Study Hours” can automatically activate study mode during designated periods. Teens will also receive reminders to take breaks after extended use, and the system will caution them before they upload private or sensitive images.
According to CNN, parents who link their accounts can manage certain settings, establish “Quiet Hours” when ChatGPT is unavailable, and receive safety notifications in limited high-risk situations. OpenAI says the teen protections will also be applied automatically when its systems determine that a user is under 18, including through age-estimation technology.
The concerns surrounding AI and young people have also become part of a broader backlash against OpenAI and other technology companies. As Futurism reported last week, more than 30 student activists occupied the lobby of OpenAI’s Washington, DC, lobbying office as part of a nationwide
campaign involving more than 20 states. __Dump Big Tech__The protesters held a banner reading “Stop Stealing Our Future” and displayed signs including “OpenAI Bought My Senator.” After about two hours, police arrested 13 demonstrators for unlawful entry, according to an incident report from the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to Common Dreams, the action was organized by the Sunrise Movement, QuitGPT, and the Young Democratic Socialists of America, with organizers criticizing Big Tech’s political influence, AI regulation, and the broader consequences of rapidly expanding technology.
OpenAI opened its Washington office in May as the company stepped up its presence in the nation’s capital, as the Washington Business Journal reported at the time. Organizers specifically pointed to OpenAI’s political spending and lobbying efforts, including more than $140 million from an affiliated super PAC ahead of the midterm elections, as evidence of the growing influence of AI companies over policy.
A Pew Research Center survey reportedly found that nearly one-third of US teens use AI chatbots daily, and ChatGPT was the most popular chatbot among those surveyed.
Related: Two Parents Sue OpenAI, Saying ChaptGPT Assisted Their 16-Year-Old Son’s Suicide