Technology expert Juan Guevara examines OpenAI’s evolving ChatGPT experience for teenagers and what parents need to know as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into the lives of young people.

ChatGPT can apply additional protections to accounts identified as belonging to users under 18, including safeguards designed to reduce exposure to certain sensitive or age-inappropriate content. OpenAI is also rolling out age prediction technology that uses account and usage signals to determine whether an account may belong to someone under 18.

Parents and guardians can link their accounts with a teenager’s account and manage selected settings, including quiet hours and access to certain ChatGPT features. In limited serious safety situations, linked parents may also receive notifications. However, parental controls do not provide parents with access to the teenager’s private conversations.

Guevara also discusses a larger issue facing families: teenagers may increasingly turn to artificial intelligence for questions they may feel uncomfortable asking parents or teachers. As AI becomes a tutor, information source and conversational tool, understanding how teenagers interact with these systems could become an important part of digital parenting.