OpenAI announced the launch of ChatGPT for Teens on Monday, introducing new safety measures and educational tools following multiple lawsuits alleging the chatbot contributed to teen suicides and other mental health issues. The product includes a new Study Mode feature designed to guide teens through problem-solving with step-by-step support rather than providing direct answers, along with homework reminders that redirect users toward Study Mode when signs of potential cheating are detected.
The teen-focused version will also include quizzes, learning visualizations, and parental controls allowing guardians to determine when Study Mode is enabled by default. OpenAI said age-appropriate safeguards, informed by developmental science and expert guidance, will now be active by default, aiming to limit exposure to harmful or developmentally inappropriate content. These protections stem from the company’s previously introduced Under-18 Principles.
Parents will retain access to existing family management tools, including safety notifications and Quiet Hours settings introduced earlier. OpenAI also announced a partnership with CodeAI aimed at helping teens better understand how AI works and how to use it responsibly, complementing its existing ChatGPT for Teachers program for schools.
The rollout comes years after ChatGPT’s 2022 launch and its growth to nearly 900 million weekly users, raising questions about why teen-specific protections were not implemented earlier in the product’s development.
