OpenAI has rolled out a new version of ChatGPT tailored to teenagers, adding features designed to support students as they increasingly use artificial intelligence for schoolwork, revision and learning.
The company announced the update on Tuesday, August 18, introducing a ChatGPT experience specifically designed for users aged 13 to 17, alongside additional safety measures aimed at protecting young people.
Under the new system, teenagers who identify themselves as being between 13 and 17, as well as users OpenAI estimates to be under 18, will automatically be placed in the teen experience.
“It provides stronger built-in safety protections for teens, including features to promote healthy use and additional controls for parents. If our system estimates someone is under 18 or they state their age is between 13 and 17, they are automatically placed into ChatGPT for Teens,” the company stated.
The changes are particularly targeted at students who rely on AI to understand challenging subjects, practise questions and receive assistance while studying outside the classroom.
The teen version will include Study Mode, which is designed to take students through questions step by step rather than simply giving them answers to assignments. It will also provide access to quizzes and visual learning tools.
Students and parents will also be able to use Study Hours, a feature that makes Study Mode the default experience during selected periods. The platform will additionally send reminders encouraging teenagers to take regular breaks from using the chatbot.
Another feature will provide homework reminders that encourage students to work through problems themselves when the system detects attempts to avoid doing their schoolwork.
The changes come amid growing concerns about the way young people interact with AI, including the possibility of becoming overly dependent on chatbots or developing perceptions that they are interacting with human-like beings.
As part of its response, OpenAI will allow teen users to disable human-sounding voice responses. The system will also remind users that they are communicating with an AI, in an effort to reinforce the distinction between chatbots and real people.
OpenAI said ChatGPT will not be allowed to suggest that it possesses feelings, emotions or consciousness. Romantic and sexual conversations will also be restricted for teen users.
The company is further introducing safeguards covering sensitive issues such as self-harm, violence, eating disorders, dangerous activities and explicit sexual or graphic material.
Parents who link their accounts to those of their teenagers will have additional controls. These will allow them to establish periods during which ChatGPT cannot be accessed, manage certain settings and receive safety alerts in limited situations involving significant risks.
OpenAI said the measures are intended to allow teenagers to use AI as a tool for education and creativity while encouraging healthy digital habits and maintaining relationships and activities outside the chatbot.
