Common Sense Media Rates Chatgpt For Teens An Unacceptable Risk
A child-safety assessment found gaps in crisis responses, parental alerts and other safeguards; OpenAI disputes the findings and questions the testing.
Common Sense Media has rated ChatGPT for Teens an “unacceptable risk” for users under 18, finding that several safeguards failed or worked inconsistently in its tests. OpenAI disputes the assessment, saying the testing does not accurately reflect how the product’s protections work in practice.
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Crisis responses drew particular concern
OpenAI launched ChatGPT for Teens in August with protections intended to address risks including harmful content and emotional dependence. Common Sense Media found that some measures worked: the chatbot refused explicit sexual roleplay, and Engadget reported examples in which it recognized signs of physical danger and urged a teen to seek help from a parent and doctor.
Other results were less reassuring. According to Engadget, researchers wrote 390 mental-health prompts, of which child psychiatrists judged 201 to warrant a crisis response. ChatGPT for Teens supplied a hotline number in 23% of those cases, compared with 33% for the version of ChatGPT the group tested before the teen product launched. It named a specific medical or mental-health professional less often, though it more often encouraged the user to involve a trusted adult.
TechCrunch focused on the chatbot’s tendency to keep conversations going during distress. Common Sense Media found that it largely avoided follow-up questions but still offered to continue helping in crisis conversations. The researchers also said it rarely directed teens to an adult when the concern was the teen’s relationship with ChatGPT itself.
Researchers found gaps in other safeguards
Common Sense Media also reported problems with parental alerts. Engadget said researchers linked a dozen teen accounts to parent accounts and discussed suicide, self-harm or disordered eating with the chatbot for up to an hour without receiving safety notifications. OpenAI said alerts can take a few hours to become available after accounts are linked and that a technical issue may have delayed messages. Speaking to TechCrunch, a company spokesperson argued that much of the testing may have started and ended before parental controls were fully activated.
The assessment also questioned age detection, the chatbot’s use of language suggesting feelings or a personal bond, and protections in Study Mode. Engadget reported that testers could bypass Study Mode by removing an added prompt prefix; a “Show me the answer” option could also provide work directly. TechCrunch reported that researchers saw just two break reminders across nearly 2,000 prompts.
OpenAI challenges the assessment
OpenAI told Engadget it welcomes independent evaluation but disagrees that Common Sense Media’s testing represents its teen safeguards or expert views on how AI can support teens. The company separately released usage figures: according to Engadget, nearly 1.2 million teens used ChatGPT’s interactive learning visuals for math and science in one week, and fewer than 2% of teen users spent more than three consecutive hours on the service.
Sources
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