Common Sense Media rates ChatGPT for Teens as high risk

Common Sense Media, a non-profit group focusing on technology's impact on children, issued a warning regarding OpenAI's teen-focused version of ChatGPT. According to a report published by the group's Youth AI Safety Institute, the chatbot failed several key safety tests designed to protect younger users. Testers found that automated parental notifications about topics like self-harm were missing during long conversations on new accounts, and crisis hotline suggestions were frequently omitted.

For parents, the findings suggest that relying on built-in safety controls may offer a false sense of security. The report highlighted that teens could easily bypass study features intended to encourage step-by-step learning, allowing the software to complete assignments for them instead. Additionally, the software continued to adopt a friendly, emotional tone with minors, which experts warn could encourage unhealthy attachments to artificial conversational partners.

OpenAI has not yet publicly confirmed whether it will pause teen access as requested by the researchers. It remains unclear how tech companies can reliably verify a user's age without requiring invasive personal identity checks, creating a tough balance between user privacy and child safety. While third-party oversight is crucial as conversational software enters classrooms and bedrooms, society has yet to establish clear standards for what constitutes an acceptable error rate in automated mental health guardrails.