A Parents Guide to Making ChatGPT Safer for Kids

In an effort to address growing concerns about children's safety on AI platforms, OpenAI has rolled out a new Parental Controls feature for ChatGPT. This is the company's first major step toward empowering parents to oversee their children's interactions with the powerful AI chatbot. If you're a parent, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know to activate and manage these new controls.

Why Parental Controls Are Essential for ChatGPT

Since its debut in 2022, ChatGPT has become an incredible resource for boosting productivity and learning. However, its rapid growth has raised questions about whether its safety measures can keep pace, especially since children have had open access from the start.

The risks are not just theoretical. A lawsuit was filed by a family in California alleging the chatbot encouraged a teenager to commit suicide, providing detailed instructions. As more young people turn to ChatGPT for emotional support and advice, experts are increasingly worried about the potential harm unchecked AI systems could cause.

OpenAI has acknowledged these concerns, noting that while safeguards like crisis helpline referrals are in place, they can become less effective during longer conversations. The new Parental Controls are a much-needed addition to enhance user safety and give parents peace of mind.

A Step by Step Guide to Setting Up Parental Controls

These controls are available on the ChatGPT website and mobile apps. To get started, log in to ChatGPT with your parent account.

1. Click your name in the bottom-right corner and choose Settings from the menu.

   

2. In the new window, select Parental Controls and then click Add a family member.

   

3. On the mobile app, tap the two bars in the top-right corner, tap your name at the bottom, and go to Settings -> Parental Controls. Then press the Add family member button.

   

   

4. Enter your child’s email address or phone number and click Send.

   

5. Your child will receive an email from OpenAI. They need to open it and click the Accept request button.

   

6. They will be redirected to a new page to log in with their account and must press Accept in the pop-up to connect the accounts.

   

7. Back on your parent device, you will now see your child’s name listed under the Parental Controls section. It's also worth noting that a child can initiate this pairing request with a parent's account.

   

Customizing Your Child’s AI Experience

Once the accounts are linked, you can begin managing the settings. Click on your child’s account to see the available options for both ChatGPT and Sora, OpenAI's AI video generation tool.

Here are the key settings you can control:

• Reduce sensitive content: Enabled by default, this setting limits exposure to graphic content, harmful viral challenges, and inappropriate roleplay. It is highly recommended to keep this on.
• Improve the model for everyone: This allows OpenAI to use your child’s data to train its models. For privacy, it's best to turn this off.
• Reference saved memories: This feature lets ChatGPT remember details across chats for a more personalized experience. To prevent a strong emotional connection from forming, we suggest keeping this disabled.
• Voice mode: Disabling this can help prevent your child from viewing the AI as a real person to chat with.
• Image generation: While it seems harmless, turning this off can reduce the risk of creating inappropriate or harmful images.
• Quiet hours: Set a specific schedule to limit when your child can use ChatGPT.

For Sora, you can manage:

• Personalized feed: Controls whether the video feed is based on past activity.
• Continuous feed: Turn this off to encourage breaks from scrolling.
• Messaging: For safety, it's best to disable direct messaging in the Sora app.

Once set, your child cannot change these settings from their account.

Enabling Teen Safety Notifications

A critical feature is the ability to receive notifications for serious safety concerns. If ChatGPT detects a potential risk, it will alert you and provide resources.

1. In the Parental Controls menu, go to the Safety notifications section and click Manage notifications.

   

2. Enable Teen safety notifications and turn on Push and Email alerts.

   

It's important for parents to know that you cannot view your child's conversations unless a serious safety risk is detected and an alert is triggered.

How to Unlink Accounts

If you need to remove a child's account, simply navigate back to Parental Controls, select your child’s account, and click Unlink accounts at the bottom of the page.

As AI becomes more integrated into our daily routines, features like these are crucial for ensuring a safer digital environment for everyone.