Parents, OpenAI Just Launched ChatGPT—For Teens

Every month, millions of people globally type a query into OpenAI’s ChatGPT. A notable fragment of the population using these chatbots are teenagers, raising concerns about safety and regulation.

OpenAI is addressing these matters and more through ChatGPT for Teens. The company claims the tool is “designed to help teens think critically and learn, with built-in protections for teens and additional controls for parents.”

ChatGPT for Teens is similar to the standard chatbot but also includes age-appropriate protections and optional parental regulation.

Some features that could help improve safe use for minors include:

Teen-specific onboarding
Age-appropriate safeguards to minimize exposure to harmful content
Learning tools
Homework reminders
Study mode
Reminders that encourage breaks

Parents who want to monitor how their kids use the chatbot can link accounts through parental controls. While you can’t read or monitor your child’s conversations, you can restrict some access. For instance, if you’re worried about them typing prompts instead of papers, you can use the study hours feature to choose when your child can start eligible new chats in study mode. Another feature, quiet time, can limit access during scheduled times.

There’s no need to opt in to the teen version of the tool or download a new app. Eligible accounts that indicate the child is under 18 via age prediction, include a verified age, or have provided age information will automatically enable ChatGPT for Teens.

These new safeguards are a long time coming, but we’re yet to see if they’ll effectively minimize risk for young people. In September 2025, OpenAI was under fire when a teenager took his life after confiding in an AI chatbot about suicidal thoughts and plans. A host of other parents and online safety advocates were also demanding that Congress enact laws that regulate these AI tools. Perhaps this may provide a little peace of mind for parents or at least be a first step.