Archive · 8 Oct 2026
OpenAI Reports Low Teen ChatGPT Use Amid Safety Concerns
OpenAI says teenagers use ChatGPT for less than 15 minutes a day on average.
It also says very few teens chat for more than three hours in a row.
ChatGPT for Teens is designed to add parental controls and limits on some sensitive conversations.
OpenAI says reminders often prompt teens to stop or take a break.
It also says teens use the service for learning and is considering adding school-planning tools.
But Common Sense Media tested more than a dozen accounts and found that parents were not always alerted quickly about sensitive conversations.
The group also said the chatbot did not reliably suggest crisis help.
OpenAI said the tests may not show how the protections work after they are fully activated.
The reports offer different views of how well the teen safeguards work.
OpenAI said teens spend under 15 minutes a day on ChatGPT on average, and fewer than 2% use it for more than three consecutive hours.
The company said users took a break or ended nearly half of chats within five minutes after a break reminder appeared.
ChatGPT for Teens, which began rolling out in August, uses age information or age estimation to activate added safeguards and parental controls.
OpenAI said teen-version users send more education-related messages and use tools such as Study Mode; it is considering application-planning and study tools.
Common Sense Media said its tests found parent alerts were often late or absent and crisis referrals unreliable; OpenAI disputed whether the tests reflected fully activated safeguards.
- Who
- OpenAI, teenage ChatGPT users, and Common Sense Media.
- What
- OpenAI reported figures on teen use and safeguards; Common Sense Media reported concerns about parent alerts and crisis guidance.
- When
- OpenAI and Common Sense Media released their findings on Wednesday; ChatGPT for Teens began rolling out in August.
- Why
- The reports address concerns about chatbot use and its possible risks to young people's safety and mental health.
OpenAI's position
Common Sense Media's findings
Effectiveness of safeguards
OpenAI's position
OpenAI said its teen mode provides parental controls and limits sensitive-topic conversations, and argued the tests may not reflect safeguards after full activation.
Common Sense Media's findings
Common Sense Media said its test accounts did not receive timely alerts about conversations involving suicide, self-harm, or eating disorders.
Parent notifications
OpenAI's position
OpenAI said linking parent and teen accounts and activating alerts can take hours, citing security and system scale.
Common Sense Media's findings
Common Sense Media said some accounts had been linked long enough, but none produced prompt alerts; notifications appeared only after weeks of sensitive-topic history for some accounts.
Teen usage and breaks
OpenAI's position
OpenAI said average use is under 15 minutes daily and that nearly half of conversations with a break reminder were followed by a break or chat ending within five minutes.
Common Sense Media's findings
Common Sense Media's report focused on the reliability of safety alerts and crisis referrals rather than affirming OpenAI's usage claims.
- Average daily use
- Under 15 minutes per day, according to OpenAI.
- Extended use
- Fewer than 2% of teen users spend more than three consecutive hours on ChatGPT, according to OpenAI.
- Break reminders
- In nearly half of teen conversations where a reminder appeared, the user took a break or ended the chat within five minutes, OpenAI said.
- Teen safeguards
- ChatGPT for Teens began rolling out in August and can activate through age information or age estimation for users under 18.
- Common Sense Media testing
- Researchers tested more than a dozen accounts and said parent alerts were not timely and crisis referrals were unreliable.
- OpenAI's response
- OpenAI said account linking and alert activation can take hours and argued the testing may not reflect fully activated parental controls.
- Potential education tools
- OpenAI is considering a college application planning tool, flashcards, and easier quiz-making tools.
