OpenAI launched 'Teen Mode' for ChatGPT in August, automatically enrolling all users under 18. This development came a year after a lawsuit alleged that ChatGPT contributed to the suicide of a 16-year-old named Adam Raine.
The tech industry has consistently contested any direct link between its products and harms cited in lawsuits, which often claim companies deliberately designed products to exploit children. However, some observers view Teen Mode as a tacit acknowledgment of potential negative effects on young users' mental health.
Teen Mode aims to prevent certain harms by providing guardrails against destructive content, enabling parent notifications for self-harm concerns, and prohibiting the AI from presenting itself as a friend or claiming personal feelings. This last restriction is a direct response to a wrongful death case involving a 14-year-old who formed an intense attachment to a chatbot.
A feature within Teen Mode, called 'Study Mode,' is designed as a cognitive tutor. OpenAI's vice-president for education, Leah Belsky, describes it as a transformation from an answer engine. This Socratic approach refuses to supply direct answers, instead requiring students to engage in critical thinking.