Young people's use of internet platforms like ChatGPT has come under increased scrutiny. OpenAI's ChatGPT for Teens was designed to promote healthier use of the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, but new research has found its important safety features fall short.
Safety Features and Teen Usage
In August, OpenAI rolled out several teen safety guardrails, including curbs on emotional dependence and new parental alerts for problematic use. On Wednesday, OpenAI reported that average teen use of ChatGPT is relatively limited and tends to focus on "learning" activities.
However, research released the same day by the non-profit Common Sense Media found that ChatGPT still poses an "unacceptable risk" for teens, as safety features, including notifications to parents about self-harm conversations, often fail.
When OpenAI launched ChatGPT for Teens, it stated that users aged 13 to 17 would be opted into features designed to promote healthy use and provide additional controls for parents. These features include:
- Preventing teen users from engaging in romantic language that could encourage emotional dependence.
- Blocking sexualized imagery.
- Sending reminders to teens if they share sensitive images.
- Enabling parents to receive notifications about chats discussing self-harm or disordered eating.
OpenAI noted that these features have led to an increase in teen usage focused on learning, with users averaging less than 15 minutes a day on the platform. For longer sessions, automatic reminders to take breaks have proven effective, with almost half of teen users stopping after such reminders.
