Sam Altman, chief executive officer and co-founder of OpenAI Inc., speaks to members of the media on the Senate Subway while heading to a meeting at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, July 29, 2026.
Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images
OpenAI on Tuesday announced ChatGPT for Teens, a dedicated chatbot experience for users under 18 that the company said is designed to include “stronger built-in safety protections.”
ChatGPT for Teens builds on several features that OpenAI has launched over the last year, including Study Mode, which aims to helpstudentswork through problems step-by-step, as well as age prediction and a number of parental controls.
The new teen experience includes a range of educational features, including homework reminders, quizzes and learning visualizations and Study Hours, where parents or teens can determine when Study Mode is on by default. OpenAI said ChatGPT for Teens also adds age-appropriate safeguards that are intended to reduce exposure to developmentally inappropriate or harmful content.
“Teens should be able to use AI to learn, create, and explore,” OpenAI said in a release. “But that access should come with protections that reflect their developmental stage, reinforce real-world relationships, and support healthy use over time.”
The launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT for Teens experience comes as Meta is kicking off a high-stakes trial over whether it fostered addictive behavior in teens and children. The trial, which could cost Meta hundreds of billions of dollars in damages, involves a coalition of 29 state attorneys general who brought a unified caseagainst the company in 2023.
OpenAI has also faced scrutiny over its safety practices.
In June, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a lawsuit againstOpenAIand its CEO,Sam Altman, alleging thecompany knowingly released an unsafe product that could harm users. Days later, a coalition of state attorneys reportedly opened an investigationinto the company. OpenAI told CNBC in a statement at the time that it intends to “engage constructively” with those officials.
In September, the Federal Trade Commissionlaunched an inquiry into seven companies — including OpenAI and Meta — to understand how theirAIchatbots potentially negatively affect children and teenagers.
OpenAI is also facing a number ofwrongful death lawsuits, which allege that ChatGPT drove users to experience harmful delusions and, in some cases, to commit suicide.
If you are having suicidal thoughts or are in distress, contact theSuicide & Crisis Lifelineat 988 for support and assistance from a trained counselor.
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