There are limits to this oversight. Parents cannot read conversations, access chat history or monitor a teenager\u2019s activity in real time. OpenAI may, however, send safety notifications in limited circumstances \u2013 for example, when specially trained reviewers identify a serious self-harm concern or when an account is deactivated over conversations relating to acts of violence. Alerts may arrive by email, text message or push notification, but will not include chat transcripts or conversation history.<\/p>\n
ChatGPT for Teens is automatically enabled when an account holder\u2019s stated or verified age \u2013 or OpenAI\u2019s age-prediction system \u2013 indicates that they are under 18. OpenAI says the system considers account information and behavioural signals when estimating age. When uncertain, it defaults to the more restrictive teen experience. Adults incorrectly placed in it can verify their age to have the additional protections removed.<\/p>\n
Not Everyone Is Convinced<\/p>\n
The launch comes amid wider concern among researchers and child-safety experts about how conversational AI could affect young people\u2019s emotional and social development.<\/p>\n
Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist and author of The Anxious Generation, has taken a particularly critical position on so-called \u201cAI companions\u201d. In a 2025 article<\/a>, he argued that children should not use chatbots designed to simulate companionship, warning that they can imitate empathy and friendship without providing the boundaries, reciprocity and social learning involved in human relationships.<\/p>\n James P Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media<\/a> \u2013 a nonprofit that focuses on child safety in the digital age \u2013 has called for transparent safety standards and independent assessments of AI products used by children. Announcing the organisation\u2019s Youth AI Safety Institute<\/a> in May, he warned that decisions about these technologies were being made without sufficient evidence about their effects on child development.<\/p>\n Research from Common Sense Media found that nearly three quarters of American teenagers had used AI companions, while more than half used them at least a few times a month. The category includes chatbots specifically designed to simulate characters, friendships or relationships and is not limited to ChatGPT.<\/p>\n