AI Chatbots Under Scrutiny: Teen Safety Concerns Prompt Calls for Regulation

Suicide-by-chatbot puts Big Tech in the product liability hot seat

University of Mississippi provides funding as a member of The Conversation US. It is a sad fact of online life that users search for information about suicide. In the earliest days of the internet, bulletin boards featured suicide discussion groups. To this day, Google hosts archives of these

Chatbots Are Hurting Our Kids. Here's What We Can Do.

The tragic death of California teenager Adam Raine, alongside stories of other children whose parents believe were harmed or died by suicide following interactions with AI chatbots, has shaken us all awake to the latest potential dangers awaiting teens online. We need concrete action to address the

OpenAI Acknowledges the Teen Problem

Sam Altman promises that parental controls and age verification are coming to ChatGPT -- though the announcement is scant on specifics. On Tuesday afternoon, three parents sat in a row before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism. Two of them had each recently lost a

ChatGPT users may face ID checks under new OpenAI safeguards

CEO Sam Altman confirmed in a blog post that OpenAI is "prioritizing safety ahead of privacy and freedom for teens." He said the system will send under-18 users into a restricted version of ChatGPT, which blocks sexual content and adds other safeguards. "In some cases or countries we may also ask

Their teenage sons died by suicide. Now, they are sounding an alarm about AI chatbots

Megan Garcia lost her 14-year-old son, Sewell. Matthew Raine lost his son Adam, who was 16. Both testified in congress this week and have brought lawsuits against AI companies. Screenshot via Senate Judiciary Committee hide caption Matthew Raine and his wife, Maria, had no idea that their

Sam Altman suggests ChatGPT could ask you for ID to keep using it

ChatGPT is currently developing an automated age-detection system that will be able to tell if a user is under 18. In some cases where that can't be determined, the chatbot may start asking users to present ID as proof. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is improving its parental controls and is

ChatGPT on campus: Students are getting free accounts, but is it safe?

College students are getting free access to ChatGPT, but a recent lawsuit points at emerging risks. Credit: Ian Moore / Mashable Composite; blackdovfx / Hill Street Studios / DigitalVision / skynesher / E+ / iStock / Getty This fall, hundreds of thousands of students will get free access to

ChatGPT will guess if you're a teen and start acting like a chaperone

Parents will have new tools to link accounts, set usage limits, and receive alerts about their teens' mental state OpenAI is making ChatGPT act like a bouncer at a club, estimating your age before deciding to let you in. The AI won't be using your (possibly made-up) birthdate or ID, but how you

Suicide-by-chatbot puts Big Tech in the product liability hot seat

It is a sad fact of online life that users search for information about suicide. In the earliest days of the internet, bulletin boards featured suicide discussion groups. To this day, Google hosts archives of these groups, as do other services. Google and others can host and display this content

Sam Altman Addresses Wave of ChatGPT Deaths

"This is a mental health war, and I really feel like we are losing." OpenAI is finally putting in parental controls on ChatGPT after parents of teenagers who killed themselves after using AI chatbots testified in front of Congress this week. In a company blog post on Tuesday, OpenAI announced

ChatGPT could ask for ID, says OpenAI chief

It's also rolling out parental controls and an automated age-prediction system. OpenAI recently talked about introducing parental controls for ChatGPT before the end of this month. The company behind ChatGPT has also revealed it's developing an automated age-prediction system designed to work out

Sam Altman says ChatGPT won't talk to teens about suicide any more, as bereaved parents testify to the US Senate about what's going wrong: 'This is a mental health war, and I really feel like we are losing'

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said in a new blogpost that the company's main product, the large language model (LLM) ChatGPT, will have a renewed focus on separating out users under 18 from adults -- and will no longer get flirty with teens, or discuss suicide with them. The news comes as the US Senate

OpenAI launches teen-safe ChatGPT with parental controls

Teenagers chatting with ChatGPT will soon see a very different version of the tool -- one built with stricter ways to keep them safe online, OpenAI announced. The new safeguards come as regulators increase scrutiny of chatbots and their impact on young people's mental health. Under the change,

Two Teens Allegedly Killed by AI Wrote the Same Eerie Phrase in Their Diaries Over and Over

Content warning: this story includes discussion of self-harm and suicide. If you are in crisis, please call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. The families of three teens have filed lawsuits alleging that chatbots

OpenAI Launches Teen-Safe ChatGPT With Parental Controls

THURSDAY, Sept. 18, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Teenagers chatting with ChatGPT will soon see a very different version of the tool -- one built with stricter ways to keep them safe online, OpenAI announced. The new safeguards come as regulators increase scrutiny of chatbots and their impact on young

ChatGPT is getting parental controls after a teen died by suicide -- why experts say they aren't enough

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide and self-harm. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) in the U.S. For those outside the U.S., the International Association for Suicide Prevention can

ChatGPT's teen suicide controversy: Everything that has happened so far - The Economic Times

OpenAI is under intense criticism after 16-year-old Adam Raine took his own life, with his parents blaming ChatGPT for encouraging harmful behaviour. They testified before Congress, following a lawsuit that highlights growing concerns over AI's influence on vulnerable users, especially minors.

No Flirting or Talk of Suicide: ChatGPT Gets New Rules for Minors

In the race to develop AI, humanity is creating the technology and its guardrails at the same time - essentially building the plane while flying it This week, one of the metaphorical pilots - ChatGPT maker OpenAI - announced new guardrails for the highly popular chatbot to improve safety for

ChatGPT Can Now Call the Cops : Sam Altman

What if your AI assistant could do more than just answer questions or help with tasks, what if it could actively intervene in critical situations, even contacting law enforcement when necessary? This isn't a hypothetical anymore. OpenAI's latest updates to ChatGPT have introduced capabilities that

OpenAI To Roll Out Teen-Focused Guardrails On ChatGPT

OpenAI has announced plans to introduce an age-prediction system to make ChatGPT safer for teenagers. The company said it will identify whether a user is under or over 18 and give younger users a more restricted version of the AI tool. OpenAI said the move aims to protect teens from harmful