OpenAI is rolling out new safeguards for teenagers using ChatGPT following rising concerns about parasocial attachments to AI and a lawsuit involving a teen’s suicide. The company will now segment users by age, restrict certain types of conversations for under-18s, introduce parental controls, and—when in doubt—ask some users to verify their identity with an official ID. These changes mark a significant step in how OpenAI manages risk, responsibility, and trust as generative AI grows to mainstream use with hundreds of millions of users.

Key Points

• Age-based restrictions: Teens 13–17 will face tighter guardrails, including no flirtatious chat and no discussions of suicide or self-harm.
• Age prediction system: OpenAI will estimate user age from conversation patterns and default to the under-18 experience if unsure.
• ID verification: In some cases, OpenAI will request users upload identification to confirm their age.
• Parental controls: Parents can link accounts with their teen’s, manage feature access, set blackout hours, and receive alerts if their teen shows signs of distress.
• Industry signal: With 700M weekly active users, OpenAI’s new policies could set expectations across the entire generative AI sector.

Key Quotes

• “Teens are growing up with AI, and it’s on us to make sure ChatGPT meets them where they are. The way ChatGPT responds to a 15-year-old should look different than the way it responds to an adult.” — OpenAI post
• “We have to separate users who are under 18 from those who aren’t… If there is doubt, we’ll play it safe and default to the under-18 experience.” — OpenAI blog post
• “In some cases or countries we may also ask for an ID; we know this is a privacy compromise for adults but believe it is a worthy tradeoff.” — OpenAI

Implications

OpenAI is positioning itself as proactive in addressing the risks of teen AI usage, from mental health to parasocial bonds. The move highlights a balancing act between user privacy and safety. For parents, it offers more control and reassurance; for adults, it may introduce occasional ID checks. At an industry level, these features could quickly become the baseline expectation across AI platforms, with enterprises under pressure to implement similar safeguards. OpenAI’s changes may well reshape how generative AI is regulated and trusted worldwide.

Source: https://venturebeat.com/ai/openai-will-start-asking-for-your-id-in-some-cases-as-part-of-chatgpt

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