Introducing ChatGPT for Teens: Built for learning, backed by protections
OpenAI launched ChatGPT for Teens with enhanced safety features for users aged 13–17, including parental controls and age-appropriate safeguards, while supporting learning outside the classroom.
OpenAI introduced ChatGPT for Teens, an experience tailored for users aged 13 to 17, featuring stronger built-in safety protections and parental controls. The system automatically places users in this mode if it estimates their age is under 18 or they self-report being a teen. The launch builds on prior initiatives such as Parental Controls, the Under-18 Model Spec, and the Teen Safety Blueprint, guided by commitments to prioritize teen safety, encourage real-world support, and maintain transparency about system behavior.
ChatGPT for Teens is designed to support learning outside the classroom, offering tools like Study Mode, which uses scaffolding and metacognitive prompts to guide students through problems rather than providing direct answers. The experience aligns with learning science research, which suggests active retrieval and self-explanation improve comprehension and retention. OpenAI emphasizes that AI should enhance learning without replacing it, while ChatGPT for Teachers provides educators with secure, institution-managed access to AI tools.
OpenAI and CodeAI announced a partnership to prepare students for an AI-driven future by teaching them how to use, question, and create with AI under teacher guidance. The collaboration focuses on educational resources that help teens understand AI’s capabilities and limitations. Examples include teens developing tools like WiFind, a search-and-rescue system using Wi-Fi signals, and Audemy, an audio-based educational platform for blind students scaled to 200,000 users.
For teen users, ChatGPT for Teens applies age-appropriate safeguards to reduce exposure to harmful or inappropriate content while preserving learning and exploration. Protections target areas such as self-harm, violence, eating disorders, and explicit content, informed by developmental science and expert input. Parents with linked teen accounts can set Quiet Hours, manage settings, and receive safety notifications, including new alerts related to eating disorders. OpenAI continues to refine age-appropriate behavior and share evaluations of model performance in sensitive-content cases to advance teen safety standards.