Overview
- OpenAI announced the new product on Tuesday, August 18, and began a staged global rollout that will apply the teen experience to free and paid personal accounts over the coming days and weeks.
- The service automatically switches users estimated or self‑identified as ages 13 to 17 into the teen mode that applies updated Model Spec rules to block or limit self-harm, violence, eating disorder guidance, explicit sexual or graphic content, and advice on dangerous activities.
- Parents who link accounts can set Quiet Hours, schedule Study Hours, control selected settings and receive safety notifications for limited high‑risk conversations after human review with a target delivery time of about one hour.
- Study Mode and related tools use guided questions, step‑by‑step support, responsible homework reminders, quizzes and learning visualizations to discourage direct answer‑giving and reduce cheating and emotional dependence on the chatbot.
- OpenAI framed the launch as a safety response to lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny but acknowledged open questions about how age estimation works, the limits of parental controls when accounts are not linked, and whether determined teens can still bypass protections.