OpenAI says teens are first generation to grow up with AI
OpenAI vice president of global policy Ann O’Leary said the company wants to build an age-appropriate product that meets teens at their developmental stage without exposing them to material they should not see.
“We want to treat teens like teens, which means that we have to make sure that we’re showing up with the right developmental stage when we’re not either talking down to them or treating them like kids, but we’re also making sure that they’re not exposed to material that they shouldn’t be exposed to,” O’Leary said.
The teen version, set to launch Tuesday, is built for users ages 13 to 17, according to the San Francisco-based company. It is tailored to teenagers with stronger content protections than the standard product.
The restrictions cover suicide, self-harm, and romantic or sexual chats. The launch also adds homework and study support designed to help students learn rather than spit out answers and school essays.
The new service is part of OpenAI’s broader framing of teens as the first generation to grow up with AI. The company said teenagers already use ChatGPT for schoolwork, questions about daily life, and companionship.
OpenAI said the product is intended to guide teens toward healthy AI use in an age-appropriate environment.