ChatGPT Parental Controls: What Is It and How to Use It?

• OpenAI has introduced parental controls and a new parent resource page in ChatGPT.
• Parents can link accounts with their teens by sending them an invite.
• Safeguards will turn on automatically with additional features like set quiet hours, turn off voice mode and more.

ChatGPT has become one of the most used AI chatbots globally. Being easily accessible also has some drawbacks. Many cases raised questions towards teenagers’ safety. There was even a case where the Parents of a 16-year-old who died by suicide are suing OpenAI. They alleged that ChatGPT encouraged and provided advice regarding his suicide. Due to these concerns, OpenAI has introduced parental controls with safety tools for parents to use for their kids. Here is how to use parental controls on ChatGPT.

What are Parental Controls on ChatGPT?

Parental controls on ChatGPT are basically tools that let parents link their account with their teen’s account and manage how the app works for them. Parents can set limits, turn off certain features, and make the overall experience more age-appropriate with these controls.

So instead of leaving everything open, parents can decide what feels right for their family and customise the settings directly from their own account. Once a parent and teen account are linked, ChatGPT automatically turns on safeguards, like reduced graphic content or sensitive content, viral challenges, and blocking sexual, romantic or violent roleplay.

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These settings are applied by default for teens. Parents can choose to turn them off, but teens cannot change them on their own. Apart from the default safeguards, parents also get a control page with these options:

• Set quiet hours (specific times when ChatGPT can’t be used)
• Turn off voice mode
• Turn off memory, so ChatGPT doesn’t save past conversations
• Disable image generation tools
• Opt out of model training (so chats won’t be used to improve ChatGPT)

Along with these, OpenAI has also added notifications for serious situations (like signs of self-harm), plus a dedicated parent resource page with tips, guides, and expert advice to help families use ChatGPT safely.

How to Use Parental Controls on ChatGPT

Setting up parental controls on ChatGPT is pretty simple. Here’s how it works:

1. Click on your profile icon and then click on settings.
2. Go to the new Parental Controls option.
3. Click on the “Add family member” option to send an invite.

Once the teen accepts, the two accounts get linked. Teens can also send an invite to their parents by following similar steps. After linking, the parent can see all the parental control settings directly in their own account under the “Parental controls” tab. From here, parents can turn on/off features or adjust safeguards as per their needs.

Note: If a teen unlinks the account, the parent gets notified right away.

That’s it, peeps! This is what the ChatGPT parental controls mean and how you can use them. Stay tuned for more updates and guides like this in future.