CALIFORNIA (Kashmir English): OpenAI has introduced parental controls for ChatGPT, enabling parents to connect accounts with young teens under the age of 18 and apply age-relevant limits.
The feature launch follows worries about teen safety and responsible AI use amid reports of self-harm cases attributed to AI engagement.
Approximately two weeks ago, OpenAI rolled out multiple teen-targeted safety features, indicating its plan to enhance protection for younger users.
These parent controls are now available across all ChatGPT users, protecting teens from having limited access to critical features.
Parents are also able to turn off sensitive content, image creation, ChatGPT memory, model training, and even quiet hours during which the AI is not usable.
Teens cannot override these restrictions, and any trying to disconnect associated accounts immediately notifies parents.
In a statement, OpenAI added: “If our systems identify potential harm, a small group of specially trained individuals examines the situation. If there is evidence of acute distress, we will reach out to parents via email, text, and push notification on their phone.”
The firm further stated that in imminent danger scenarios where parents cannot be contacted, it can collaborate with police or emergency responders. Although OpenAI has ensured teen privacy, it stated that necessary information would be shared in extraordinary, high-stakes cases.
At the same time, a few users of GPT-4o complained about the site’s auto-routing feature for sensitive discussions, which they say restricts control. Despite this resistance, the new controls represent an important step toward AI tools being made safer for children.
Parents also have access to a new resource website developed by OpenAI to learn more about parental controls and get professional advice on how to manage AI usage at home.
