ChatGPT للمراهقين.. إصدار جديد من OpenAI للتعلم بأمان

OpenAI has announced the launch of a tailored ChatGPT experience for teenagers aged 13 to 17, in a move aimed at providing a more suitable environment for one of the first generations raised amidst the widespread prevalence of artificial intelligence.

This step comes at a time when teenagers are increasingly using AI-powered chatbots for homework, asking questions related to daily life, seeking support and advice, and even looking for companionship and emotional connection.

Through this new experience, OpenAI aims to guide teenagers towards a safer and healthier use of artificial intelligence, implementing additional controls that are appropriate for their age and developmental stage.

Greater Protection from Sensitive Content

The teenage experience includes additional protective measures that limit exposure to sensitive or age-inappropriate content, including topics related to suicide and self-harm, as well as romantic or sexual conversations.

OpenAI indicates that teenage accounts receive additional protection by default to minimize exposure to violent or explicit content, prevalent dangerous challenges, and content related to sexual, romantic, or violent roles, as well as content that promotes extreme beauty standards or unhealthy eating behaviors.

Anne O'Leary, Vice President of Global Policy at OpenAI, stated that the company wants to treat teenagers as "teenagers," which means considering their developmental stage without speaking to them in a way that belittles them or treating them like children, while ensuring they are not exposed to materials they should not see.

Preventing Emotional Relationships with AI

One of the most notable aspects of the new experience is the restrictions on how ChatGPT interacts with teenagers, as the chatbot is not supposed to imply that it has personal feelings towards the user or that it is self-aware or experiencing real emotions.

Romantic or sexual conversations are also prohibited, in an attempt to reduce the likelihood of a teenager developing an emotional relationship or unhealthy dependency on the chatbot.

OpenAI states that it has identified a set of potential signals that could lead a teenager to develop a personal relationship with artificial intelligence and seeks to minimize the occurrence of such signals during conversations.

Growing Concerns About Teenagers' Use of AI

This move comes amid rising concerns about the widespread use of chatbots among children and teenagers, as parents, teachers, and child development experts have warned of risks ranging from using them to cheat on homework to their potential contribution to risky behaviors.

These risks are particularly sensitive for teenagers, whose brains are still developing, making them more susceptible to the influences of prolonged interactions with AI systems.

A study conducted by Common Sense Media in 2025 found that over 70% of teenagers in the United States use AI chatbots for companionship, with nearly half of them regularly using AI companions.

OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, previously noted that the company is studying the phenomenon of "excessive emotional reliance" on technology, describing it as a common occurrence among youth.

Parental Controls Without Access to Conversations

OpenAI provides families with parental control tools that allow them to link a teenager's account to a parent's or guardian's account, enabling the management of a range of settings.

Once accounts are linked, parents can set "quiet hours" during which the teenager cannot use ChatGPT, disable voice chat or image creation features, manage memory, and reduce sensitive content.

In some limited cases related to serious safety risks, the system can send notifications to parents if indicators arise that warrant significant intervention, especially when there is suspicion of self-harm risks.

Conversely, the parental control tools do not grant parents the ability to read or directly monitor their children's conversations.

How Does ChatGPT Determine if a User is a Teenager?

OpenAI does not rely solely on the age provided by the user when creating the account; the company has begun rolling out an age estimation system that uses various signals to try to determine whether the account belongs to someone under 18.

If the system believes the user is a teenager, the teenage experience can be automatically applied, including additional content controls and some restrictions on features. If the user is an adult and is mistakenly classified under the teenage experience, they can resort to age verification procedures to remove this protection.

OpenAI emphasizes that ChatGPT is not intended for children under 13 and requires parental consent for users aged 13 to 18.

A Study Aid, Not a "Answer Machine"

The new experience is not limited to safety measures; OpenAI also aims to change how teenagers use artificial intelligence in education.

Instead of providing ready-made answers for homework or writing essays on behalf of students, the study aid tools are designed to guide the student towards thinking and arriving at the answer themselves.

The company relies on the concept of interactive learning, which encourages students to actively engage in understanding concepts rather than merely obtaining the final answer.

This step coincides with OpenAI's investments in tools tailored for education, including a version of ChatGPT aimed at teachers, in an effort to enhance the presence of AI technologies within the educational process.

A New Step in the Race to Protect Children

The launch of a tailored experience for teenagers reflects a growing shift in how artificial intelligence companies are dealing with younger users, amid increasing reliance on chatbots and growing discussions about the limits of their use and their impact on mental health, education, and social relationships.

Through these measures, OpenAI aims to achieve a difficult balance: providing the benefits of artificial intelligence to teenagers in their studies and daily lives while minimizing the risks of inappropriate content, emotional dependency, and interactions with topics beyond their age.

The company asserts that the protective measures are not a complete solution and that it will continue to develop them as the use of artificial intelligence expands among teenagers and families.