OpenAI brings safety feature to moderate teenagers' screentime on ChatGPT app

With the new safety railguards, parents can turn off image generation on ChatGPT. And, the guardians can block teenagers' accounts from being used to train the ChatGPT models.

OpenAI has launched the much-awaited safety feature to let parents moderate the usage of the ChatGPT app for their teenagers.

As per the latest study, more than 750 million users of all age groups actively use ChatGPT for school projects, work, and for general knowledge curiosity. Among them, millions of underage teenagers are using ChatGPT not just for homework, but also as a therapist when feeling lonely. There are reports worldwide that some underage users have fallen prey to misguided suggestions.

This is not just with ChatGPT; it has happened with other generative Artificial Intelligence bots available in the market.

To curb such things, OpenAI has introduced parental controls to keep an eye on the activities of teenagers on the ChatGPT app.

"These parental controls are a good starting point for parents in managing their teens’ ChatGPT use. Parental controls are just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to keeping teens safe online, though—they work best when combined with ongoing conversations about responsible AI use, clear family rules about technology, and active involvement in understanding what their teen is doing online,” said Robbie Torney, Senior Director, AI Programs, Common Sense Media.

ChatGPT parental control feature.

Here's how to set up parental controls on ChatGPT:

Step 1: Once updated to the latest version, go to Settings >> scroll down to Parental Controls >> Add family member

Here, an email will be sent to the teenager's ID, and the latter has to accept the request to link their ChatGPT account with their parents.

Step 2: Once linked with the child's ChatGPT account, the parent will be able to set screen time and limit access to age-inappropriate content, with protections, including reduced graphic content, viral challenges, sexual, romantic or violent roleplay, and extreme beauty ideals.

Also, parents can turn off image generation on ChatGPT. And, the guardians can block teenagers' accounts from being used to train the ChatGPT models.

Currently, this parental control feature is available on the web version only. It will be expanded to the mobile app versions soon.

OpenAI has noted that it plans to bring more safety features to improve the user experience for teenagers in the coming months.

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