OpenAI has launched ChatGPT for Teens, a dedicated version of its AI chatbot with age-appropriate safety measures, parental controls, and tools designed to prevent teenagers from using the platform to cheat on their schoolwork—more than three years after the service first launched with no such protections in place.

The new product includes a Study Mode feature that gives teenage users guiding questions and step-by-step support to help them understand their course material rather than simply retrieving answers. When the system detects that a teen may be attempting to use the chatbot to complete homework rather than learn from it, a homework reminder will appear encouraging them to use Study Mode instead. Additional features include quizzes, learning visualisations, and parental controls that allow guardians to decide when Study Mode is enabled by default, as well as the ability to set Quiet Hours and receive safety notifications.

Age-appropriate content protections will be active by default, designed to reduce teen exposure to harmful or developmentally inappropriate material. OpenAI says the protections are informed by developmental science and guidance from subject matter experts. The company has also announced a partnership with CodeAI to help young users understand how AI works and how to evaluate it critically.

The launch arrives after multiple lawsuits brought against OpenAI over the mental health impact of ChatGPT on young users, including cases tied to teen suicides. 

ChatGPT launched in late 2022 and scaled to hundreds of millions of weekly active users before any safeguards designed specifically for teenagers were introduced.