New Delhi: OpenAI on Tuesday introduced a new version of ChatGPT for those under 18, making the chatbot more age-appropriate by adding protection tools and optional parental controls.
‘ChatGPT for Teens’ will support teenagers in learning, creativity, and everyday life with age-appropriate responses and content.
“ChatGPT for Teens is the same capable ChatGPT, designed to help teens learn, work through problems, and explore new ideas. It includes age-appropriate protections, tools that support balanced use, and optional parental controls,” OpenAI said in a blog post.
As part of the changes, teenagers with new accounts will have the option to turn off ChatGPT’s human-like voice responses. The move is intended to make it clearer to young users that they are interacting with an AI system rather than a real person.
OpenAI has also introduced regular reminders for homework and study hours, encouraging young users to take breaks from ChatGPT. A similar reminder will also prevent teens from sharing sensitive information.
“A reminder may appear before some image uploads, encouraging teens to check for sensitive information before sharing,” OpenAI said.
OpenAI also highlighted the difference between ChatGPT for Teens and the standard version. The new version is the same original chatbot, just with additional tools that are designed to help teens explore new ideas and solve problems.
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Parental controls
ChatGPT for Teens includes parental controls and privacy features. Parents and guardians can choose to link their accounts with their teenagers’ through, allowing them to manage certain settings.
Through the ‘Study Hours’ feature, parents can select specific hours when “eligible new chats” start again in Study Mode, without completely restricting the teenager’s access to ChatGPT.
The feature also allows ‘Quiet Hours’, when the teen’s access to ChatGPT can be limited during certain scheduled periods.
OpenAI also clarified that parental controls do not allow parents or guardians to read or monitor a teenager’s conversations.
“In limited safety-notification situations, OpenAI shares only the information needed to help support the teen’s safety,” the post said.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)