ABUJA, Nigeria – OpenAI has on Tuesday announced it will roll out parental controls for ChatGPT in the coming month, responding to concerns over the chatbot’s potential influence in self-harm cases involving teenagers.
The new feature will allow parents to link accounts with their children’s, manage memory and chat history, restrict certain functions, and receive alerts if signs of “acute distress” are detected.
The move follows lawsuits against chatbot platforms, including a case involving a 16-year-old whose parents accused ChatGPT of contributing to his suicide.
OpenAI acknowledged that while safeguards like directing users to helplines exist, they can become less effective in long conversations. The company said the new controls are the “first step” in a broader safety strategy guided by mental health experts.
