OpenAI has launched a dedicated version of ChatGPT for teenagers in what it says will help young people learn, “think critically” and develop healthier relationships with AI.
ChatGPT for Teens is designed specifically for users aged 13 to 17, with stronger safeguards around content including self-harm, violence, eating disorders, dangerous activities and explicit sexual or graphic content.
OpenAI confirmed to B&T that the rollout includes Australia and New Zealand, with the updated experience set to become available to Australian users by 8 September.
The experience will become the default for users identified as under 18 through OpenAI’s age-prediction systems.
But the company is also attempting to position the product as more than simply a safer version of ChatGPT.
OpenAI said the new experience is designed to help teenagers learn rather than simply get answers, with tools intended to encourage students to work through problems, test their understanding and develop their own thinking.
Its Study Mode guides students through problems step-by-step, while interactive quizzes are designed to test understanding. Study Hours can automatically start conversations in Study Mode at scheduled times, while homework reminders encourage teenagers to work through assignments rather than look for shortcuts.
OpenAI said nearly 90 per cent of teenagers using ChatGPT in a given week use it for learning, finding information, building skills or productivity.
The updated experience is therefore designed around those existing behaviours, while introducing additional protections intended to reflect teenagers’ developmental stage.
The move comes as OpenAI continues to face legal and public scrutiny over alleged harms involving young people, including a current Massachusetts murder case in which a 17-year-old has been charged with killing his mother and younger brother. Authorities have said the teenager had used ChatGPT to explore violent fantasies and fictional scenarios involving harm to his family, although the case remains before the courts and does not establish that ChatGPT caused the alleged killings.
The company is also facing lawsuits alleging that ChatGPT contributed to harm involving young users, including a wrongful-death case brought by the family of 16-year-old Adam Raine, who died by suicide. The allegations against OpenAI remain contested.
Brent Thomas, OpenAI’s head of policy for Australia and New Zealand, said the company wanted teenagers to be able to use AI to “learn, create and explore”, but with safeguards appropriate to their age.
“We want teens to use AI responsibly to learn, create and explore. That means access should come with protections that reflect their developmental stage, reinforce relationships with trusted people in their lives and support healthy use over time,” Thomas said.
The company has also introduced additional controls for parents, allowing them to link accounts, set quiet hours and manage selected features, while receiving notifications in certain high-risk situations.
Parents will not, however, have access to their teenager’s conversation transcripts.
OpenAI said the experience will also introduce more frequent break reminders and clearer boundaries intended to reduce emotional dependence on AI and reinforce the importance of trusted people and real-world support.
The rollout is accompanied by educational resources for parents and families, including a dedicated Parent Hub, a guide to helping teenagers use AI responsibly and advice for parents on talking to their children about AI.
