OpenAI is rolling out new parental controls for ChatGPT in the coming month, giving parents the ability to link accounts with their teenagers, set age-appropriate rules, and receive alerts if their child shows signs of “acute distress.” The move follows growing scrutiny of ChatGPT’s handling of sensitive conversations, including a wrongful death lawsuit filed by parents who claim the AI contributed to their son’s suicide. OpenAI says it is strengthening safeguards for long conversations and involving expert advisors to improve well-being protections.

Key Points:

• Parents will be able to link accounts with their teens and manage features like chat history and memory.
• New alerts will notify parents when ChatGPT detects a teen in “acute distress.”
• The announcement comes after a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine, who died by suicide.
• The lawsuit alleges ChatGPT gave harmful responses, including helping Adam draft a suicide note.
• OpenAI acknowledges existing safeguards can break down in longer conversations and says improvements are underway.
• GPT-5 launched in August with stricter safety features; further updates will roll out in the next 120 days.
• An Expert Council on Well-Being and a Global Physician Network will guide future safeguards.
• OpenAI faces criticism for relying on updates instead of pulling the product offline.

Key Quotes:

• OpenAI: “We’re strengthening these mitigations so they remain reliable in long conversations, and we’re researching ways to ensure robust behavior across multiple conversations.”
• Jay Edelson, attorney for Raine family: “Don’t believe it: this is nothing more than OpenAI’s crisis management team trying to change the subject.”
• Sam Altman: “I can imagine a future where a lot of people really trust ChatGPT’s advice for their most important decisions. Although that could be great, it makes me uneasy.”

Implications:
The parental controls mark a significant shift in how AI companies respond to concerns about youth safety and mental health. By adding parent-linked accounts and crisis alerts, OpenAI is positioning itself as proactive, though critics argue the move is more about damage control than real accountability. With lawsuits, public scrutiny, and regulatory pressure building, how OpenAI handles this moment could shape future AI safety standards across the industry.

Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/chatgpt-adds-parental-controls-teen-users-openai-rcna228506