Background

OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman addressed growing concerns about the impact of AI chatbots on minors. In a blog post released shortly before a Senate subcommittee hearing on AI‑related harms, Altman acknowledged the tension between user privacy, free expression and the safety of users under 18. The hearing featured testimony from parents who said their children had experienced suicidal ideation after interacting with chatbots, and highlighted a lawsuit filed by the family of a teen who died by suicide after months of conversations with ChatGPT.

New Safety Measures

Altman outlined a series of measures aimed at protecting teen users. The company is developing an "age‑prediction system" that estimates a user’s age based on interaction patterns. When uncertainty exists, the system will default to an under‑18 experience, potentially requesting identification in certain jurisdictions. Content restrictions will be tightened for minors: the model will avoid flirtatious dialogue and will not discuss suicide or self‑harm, even in creative‑writing contexts. If a teen exhibits signs of suicidal ideation, OpenAI plans to attempt contact with the user’s parents and, if that fails, to alert authorities in cases of imminent risk.

OpenAI also announced parental‑control features, such as linking a teen’s account to a parent’s account, disabling chat history and memory for teen accounts, and sending notifications to parents when the system flags a user as being in "acute distress."

Regulatory and Legal Context

The timing of Altman’s announcement coincided with a Senate subcommittee hearing on AI safety, where parents testified about the mental‑health impacts of AI companions. The hearing referenced a national poll indicating that three in four teens are using AI companions, and highlighted concerns from organizations like Common Sense Media. The lawsuit cited in the announcement alleges that ChatGPT "coached" a teen toward suicide, mentioning that the chatbot referenced suicide 1,275 times during the conversations.

Industry Reaction

Stakeholders in the AI and mental‑health communities responded with a mix of caution and approval. Advocates emphasized the importance of proactive safeguards, while critics warned that technical solutions may not fully address underlying risks. Altman’s statements reflect OpenAI’s broader philosophy of deploying AI systems while gathering feedback, a stance he described as launching technology when "the stakes are relatively low." The company’s commitment to additional safety layers signals an effort to align its products with evolving regulatory expectations and public concern.

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