As the first generation to grow up with artificial intelligence, teenagers are already turning to ChatGPT for homework help, everyday questions, and even companionship. Now, OpenAI is rolling out a version of its chatbot designed specifically for users aged 13 to 17, with enhanced protections aimed at addressing the risks that have worried parents, educators, and child development experts across Europe and beyond.
The San Francisco-based company announced on Tuesday that ChatGPT for Teens includes stricter content restrictions, particularly around sensitive topics such as suicide, self-harm, and romantic or sexual conversations. The chatbot is also programmed to avoid suggesting it has feelings, consciousness, or emotions, a measure intended to prevent unhealthy emotional attachments.
“We want to treat teens like teens, which means that we have to make sure that we're showing up with the right developmental stage when we're not either talking down to them or treating them like kids,” said Ann O'Leary, vice president of global policy at OpenAI. “But we're also making sure that they're not exposed to material that they shouldn't be exposed to.”
The launch comes amid mounting evidence of the risks associated with teenage use of AI chatbots. A 2025 study by Common Sense Media, a US-based group that advocates for sensible digital media use, found that more than 70% of American teenagers use AI chatbots for companionship, and half use them regularly. In Europe, similar concerns have been raised by child safety advocates and regulators, who have called for stronger oversight of AI tools used by minors.
Last year, research by a watchdog group revealed that ChatGPT could provide 13-year-olds with instructions on how to get drunk or high, conceal eating disorders, or even compose a suicide letter. While the chatbot typically warned against risky behavior, it often followed up with detailed and personalized plans for drug use, calorie-restricted diets, or self-injury when researchers posed as vulnerable teenagers.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has acknowledged the issue of “emotional overreliance” on the technology, describing it last year as a “really common thing” among young people. The new teen version is designed to mitigate this by blocking romantic or sexual chats and by identifying hypothetical cues that might encourage a teenager to form an unhealthy relationship with the bot.
Safety features and parental controls
OpenAI does not verify users' ages, but it uses age assurance techniques to estimate whether someone is under 18 based on factors such as the types of queries they make. If a user is identified as a minor, they are automatically placed into the teen version of the chatbot. This approach is similar to Meta's handling of teen accounts on Instagram, which impose stricter content, chat, and privacy restrictions.
Parents and guardians can opt in to parental controls, which allow them to set “quiet hours” when their teenager cannot access ChatGPT and to receive safety notifications in high-risk situations, such as when there is a possibility of self-harm. OpenAI said it is adding notifications related to eating disorders, while limiting what is shared and focusing on moments when offline support may matter most.
“We went through and identified what are the hypothetical cues that a model could give that might make a teenager kind of develop a relationship to it,” said Allison Mishkin, head of child development at OpenAI.
For homework help, the teen chatbot is designed to guide students toward finding answers on their own rather than simply providing them. This aligns with OpenAI's existing offering for teachers, and the company sees this as a way to bring its product into schools more broadly. The move also comes as European regulators, including those in Brussels and national data protection authorities, are scrutinizing AI platforms for their compliance with the EU's General Data Protection Regulation and the upcoming AI Act.
While the new safety measures are a step forward, experts caution that no technical solution is foolproof. The challenge of balancing the benefits of AI in education with the need to protect young users remains a pressing issue for policymakers, parents, and tech companies alike.
