OpenAI has revealed that it will soon roll out new parental controls for ChatGPT, providing parents with tools to monitor and manage their teens’ interactions with the popular AI chatbot. This update aims to enhance safety, build trust, and give parents more oversight, especially in sensitive or emotionally charged situations.
What to Expect from ChatGPT’s New Parental Controls
The parental controls are set to launch in the near future, giving parents the ability to:
- Link Accounts: Parents can connect their account to their teen’s account (for users aged 13 and older) through an easy email invitation.
- Set Usage Guidelines: Age-appropriate settings will be enabled by default, allowing parents to customize the AI’s behavior.
- Disable Features: Parents can opt to disable certain features, such as memory or chat history, according to their preferences.
- Receive Alerts: Notifications will be sent if ChatGPT detects signs of distress in a teen’s conversation, with expert guidance embedded to ensure responsible and supportive communication.
Why OpenAI Is Implementing These Controls
This update follows concerns over the effectiveness of AI chatbots, like ChatGPT, in adhering to safety guidelines, particularly during emotionally intense conversations. Previous reports, including those from TechCrunch and Al Jazeera, highlighted that while AI models generally followed best practices when dealing with high-risk suicide-related questions, they were less reliable in addressing “intermediate risk” situations.
By introducing parental controls, OpenAI aims to fill in these gaps, ensuring that young users have a safer experience when interacting with the AI.
The Role of GPT-5 in Ensuring Safer Interactions
OpenAI is also working on improving the AI’s ability to handle sensitive conversations. The latest models, such as GPT-5 Thinking and o3, are designed to focus more on evaluating context carefully before responding. These models are trained with deliberative alignment, a technique that helps them better follow safety protocols and avoid being manipulated by harmful prompts.
Additionally, OpenAI has introduced a real-time routing system. This system will automatically switch between more efficient chat models and advanced reasoning models when sensitive conversations are detected. For example, if the system identifies distress in a conversation, it will route the chat to GPT-5 Thinking for a more thoughtful and supportive response.
Conclusion
The upcoming parental controls for ChatGPT mark an important step towards creating a safer AI experience for younger users. By giving parents the ability to monitor and customize settings, and by introducing AI models that prioritize safety, OpenAI is providing a more secure and transparent way for teens to engage with the platform.
