OpenAI and Anthropic announced new efforts to spot underage users, as pressure mounts on AI companies to keep teens safe and lawmakers sharpen their knives.<\/p>\n
OpenAI says it\u2019s updating the rulebook that governs how ChatGPT behaves, especially when chatting with users aged 13 to 17.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The chatbot\u2019s updated Model Spec now adds four new principles designed to put \u201cteen safety first,\u201d even if that means dialing back some of the chatbot\u2019s usual enthusiasm for unfiltered intellectual exploration.<\/p>\n
The new guidelines tell ChatGPT to gently steer teens toward safer options when conversations drift into risky territory, encourage real-world relationships and offline support, and, perhaps most notably, \u201ctreat teens like teens.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That means warmth and respect without talking down to them or pretending they\u2019re fully grown adults who definitely have their life together.<\/p>\n
This shift doesn\u2019t come out of nowhere. Lawmakers have been increasingly worried about the impact of AI chatbots on mental health, particularly for younger users.\u00a0<\/p>\n
OpenAI is currently facing a lawsuit alleging that ChatGPT provided self-harm instructions to a teen who later died by suicide.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In response, the company rolled out parental controls and barred suicide-related discussions with teens entirely.<\/p>\n
Now, OpenAI says ChatGPT will push users toward trusted adults, emergency services, or crisis resources when it detects signs of imminent risk.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also testing an age-prediction model that estimates how old a user might be.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If the system thinks you\u2019re under 18, teen safety features kick in automatically, though adults who get mistakenly flagged can verify their age.<\/p>\n
Anthropic is taking a stricter approach. It doesn\u2019t allow under-18 users at all, and it\u2019s building tools to detect and boot minors from its chatbot, Claude.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The company says it looks for subtle conversational clues that someone might be underage and already flags users who admit they\u2019re minors.<\/p>\n
Anthropic also shared details about training Claude to avoid reinforcing harmful thoughts, including around suicide and self-harm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Its newest models are reportedly less \u201csycophantic\u201d in their AI-speak, with the Haiku 4.5 model correcting that behavior 37 percent of the time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"