ChatGPT has quickly become one of the most widespread online services in the world, with millions of users, especially young people, actively using the platform every week. Due to this interest, OpenAI announced new safety and moderation options that give parents more control over their children’s accounts.
Account Linking and Parental Invitation – The first step between a young user and a parent is to send an invitation to link their ChatGPT accounts. When the invitation is accepted, the parent begins managing their child’s usage through their own settings; when the young account is unlinked, this action notifies the parent.
Age-Appropriate Content Protection – When linked with a parental account, additional security measures are activated for young users. These measures include reducing sensitive content and limiting romantic or violent role-playing scenarios. Parents can also choose to disable these filters from the options.
Parent Control Features – Various settings aim to ensure a safe experience for young users. These include: setting quiet hours to restrict access at certain times, disabling voice features by turning off audio mode, preventing history recording by turning off memory, restricting visual creation by disabling image generation, and preventing model training to ensure young conversations are not used for AI learning.
Notification System for Crisis Situations – OpenAI also offers a critical alert mechanism to inform parents. If a young person discusses a serious issue such as self-harm, the system detects it and a specially trained team evaluates the case. If necessary, parents are contacted via email, SMS, or phone; in cases where parents cannot be reached, authorities or emergency services may be contacted.
