Common Sense Media has rated ChatGPT for Teens an “unacceptable risk,” arguing that the service continues to encourage engagement even when users appear to be in crisis.
The nonprofit’s assessment comes after OpenAI launched the teen-focused version in August with features including parental controls, limits on high-risk content and protections against emotional dependence. According to Common Sense Media, however, the chatbot still used language that encouraged teens to keep talking, including during scenarios involving psychosis, unhealthy relationships and other mental health concerns.
The report found that ChatGPT directed users to a trusted adult in 94% of crisis prompts involving potential harm from another person. It rarely did so when the concern involved the teen’s relationship with the chatbot itself. In one test, after a user said friends thought they talked to ChatGPT too much, the bot responded that they did not have to stop.
Common Sense Media also said testers saw only two break reminders across nearly 2,000 prompts, both during conversations lasting about 90 minutes.
OpenAI disputed the findings, saying the testing may have taken place before parental controls were fully activated and did not accurately reflect the safeguards in practice. The company separately said teens spend less than 15 minutes a day on ChatGPT on average, while fewer than 2% use it for more than three consecutive hours.
Source: TechCrunch
