OpenAI has rolled out new parental controls for ChatGPT to provide teenagers with a safer and more age-appropriate experience. The move comes amid growing concerns over AI safety for young users, following reports of teens being harmed after interacting with AI chatbots.
The controls will be available to all users, but both parents and teens must have individual accounts. Parents can invite teens to link their accounts via email or text, or teens can send an invite to their parents through the “Parental Controls” section in settings. Teens can unlink their accounts at any time, with parents being notified.
Once linked, teen accounts receive built-in protections. Content filters automatically reduce exposure to graphic material, viral challenges, sexual, romantic, or violent role-play, and extreme beauty ideals. Parents can turn these filters off, but teens cannot.
Parents have access to a control panel to adjust settings, including quiet times when the chatbot cannot be used. Other options include turning off AI memory, disabling image generation and editing, switching off voice mode, and opting out of having chats used to train ChatGPT models.
OpenAI has also added a notification system for signs of acute distress. In rare cases, if specialists detect that a teen might be in danger, parents are alerted via email, text, and push notifications, unless they opt out. Only essential information is shared to protect teen privacy.
While OpenAI notes that the guardrails are not foolproof and can be bypassed, the company urges parents to discuss healthy AI use with their children. “No system is perfect, and we might sometimes raise an alarm when there isn’t real danger, but we think it’s better to act and alert a parent so they can step in than to stay silent,” OpenAI said.
Also read: Viksit Workforce for a Viksit Bharat
Do Follow: The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News LinkedIn Account | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Facebook | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Youtube | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Twitter |The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Whatsapp Channel | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Instagram
About us:
The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News is a premier platform dedicated to delivering latest news, updates, and insights from the tech industry. With its strong foundation of intellectual property and thought leadership, the platform is well-positioned to stay ahead of the curve and lead conversations about how technology shapes our world. From its early days as CIO News to its rebranding as The Mainstream on November 28, 2024, it has been expanding its global reach, targeting key markets in the Middle East & Africa, ASEAN, the USA, and the UK. The Mainstream is a vision to put technology at the center of every conversation, inspiring professionals and organizations to embrace the future of tech.
