Following a wave of lawsuits concerning the lack of safety measures in AI chatbots—which have been linked to teen suicides and other mental health issues—OpenAI announced the launch of ChatGPT for Teens on Monday. This new offering promises enhanced safety protocols and also tackles the growing problem of AI-assisted cheating in schools. From an educational perspective, ChatGPT for Teens introduces a fresh Study Mode feature, along with other tools aimed at encouraging young users to satisfy their curiosity and tackle problems step by step, rather than simply seeking instant answers. According to OpenAI's blog post, Study Mode provides teens with guiding questions and incremental support to help them grasp the material more deeply.

Additionally, the teen-focused experience includes homework reminders that activate when the system detects a user attempting to cheat instead of learning the content. In such cases, the chatbot nudges the teen toward Study Mode. The app also offers quizzes, learning visualizations, and parental controls that let guardians decide whether Study Mode is enabled by default. However, it remains uncertain how challenging it will be for teens to bypass these new systems if they choose not to cooperate. Teens are notoriously skilled at circumventing parental controls and other restrictions on digital experiences. Until ChatGPT's teen mode undergoes more rigorous testing, it's unclear how easily these safety measures can be worked around in practice.

OpenAI states that app-appropriate protections will be turned on by default in ChatGPT for Teens, designed to limit exposure to harmful or developmentally unsuitable content. These safeguards are grounded in the company's Under-18 Principles within its Model Spec, which OpenAI says are shaped by "developmental science and guidance from experts."

Parents will also have access to family tools and parental controls introduced previously, allowing them to manage settings, receive safety alerts, and set Quiet Hours, among other options. OpenAI has also partnered with CodeAI to help teens learn more about artificial intelligence, including how it works, how to steer or question it, and how to apply it. In schools, OpenAI already offers ChatGPT for Teachers, providing institutions with managed access to AI and additional support.