Parents' Ultimate Guide to ChatGPT Parental Controls

OpenAI has introduced parental controls for ChatGPT, giving parents a way to manage their teen's experience with this popular AI chatbot. If your teen is using ChatGPT for homework help, creative projects, or just general curiosity, these controls can be a helpful tool in keeping their interactions safer and more appropriate.

But remember: Parental controls are just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to keeping kids safe online. They work best when combined with ongoing conversations about responsible AI use, clear family rules about technology, and your active involvement in understanding what your teen is doing online.

ChatGPT and other AI chatbots can be useful tools for learning and creativity, but they do come with real risks that parents should understand, from inappropriate content to dangerous mental health advice. Common Sense Media recommends against teens using any chatbot, including ChatGPT, for mental health or emotional support, as our risk assessments have shown this is too risky. Note: We're still evaluating ChatGPT's new teen-specific features and policies.

Even with parental controls in place, you'll want to stay involved in monitoring and discussing your teen's AI use. These tools aren't perfect, and teens can find ways around the safeguards if they're determined to do so.

Setting up ChatGPT's parental controls requires both you and your teen to have ChatGPT accounts. Here's the step-by-step process:

1. Create your own ChatGPT account if you don't already have one. We strongly encourage parents to spend some time using ChatGPT themselves before their teen starts using it. Jump into your discomfort and try it out. Understanding how it works will make you a better guide for your teen.
2. From your account, invite your teen. Your teen will need their own ChatGPT account for this to work. Go to Settings > Parental Controls > Add a family member. Enter your teen's email address and select "My child" as their relationship to you.
   
   
   
   
    
3. Your teen needs to accept the invitation. They'll receive an email asking them to confirm that you're their parent or guardian. Once they click "Accept request," you'll be linked.
   
   
    
4. Access the controls. You can now manage certain settings for your teen's account. You should receive safety alerts if ChatGPT detects potentially harmful conversations, or if trained reviewers determine there is a risk of self-harm.

Once you're linked to your teen's account, you'll have access to several parental controls in the settings section of your ChatGPT account. You won't have access to your teen's actual conversations with ChatGPT, but you can manage their privacy and content settings.

Here's what each setting does, along with our recommendations: 

Reduce Sensitive Content

What it does: This adds extra content guardrails in areas like dangerous activities, body image, sexual content, violence, and role-playing scenarios. When enabled, ChatGPT will be more likely to avoid unsafe or graphic topics and will focus on age-appropriate answers.

Our recommendation: Keep this ON. These additional protections can help prevent your teen from accessing inappropriate content or getting potentially harmful advice. While not foolproof, these guardrails add an essential layer of safety.

Model Training

What it does: This allows ChatGPT to use your teen's conversations to improve future versions of the AI.

Our recommendation: Turn this OFF. Protecting your teen's privacy should be a priority. There's no benefit to your family from having your teen's conversations used for training purposes, and disabling this setting is the safer choice.

Memory

What it does: This allows ChatGPT to remember details from previous conversations with your teen, like their interests, what subjects they're studying, or writing style preferences, in order to personalize responses.

Our recommendation: Keep this ON, but be vigilant. Memory can be helpful for educational purposes. For example, if your teen is getting tutoring help, ChatGPT can remember what topics were covered last week. It can also help the AI notice patterns that might indicate your teen is in distress. However, be aware that this feature could potentially contribute to your teen forming an attachment to the AI, since the AI will "remember" details about your teen. (When you also have the "reduced sensitive content" setting enabled, this risk is reduced but not entirely eliminated.)

Voice Mode

What it does: This allows your teen to use Voice mode in ChatGPT so they can have spoken conversations with ChatGPT instead of just typing.

Our recommendation: This is largely a matter of family preference. Voice mode can make interactions feel more natural and may be helpful for teens who prefer speaking to typing, or can be an accommodation for certain learners. Just be aware that spoken conversations can feel more personal and relationship-like than text-based ones. Plus, a teen's unique voice contains personally identifying information, and ChatGPT collects this data as part of its functionality. 

Image Generation

What it does: This allows ChatGPT to create images based on your teen's requests.

Our recommendation: Turn this OFF. Image generators are known to have significant bias issues and can produce inappropriate or stereotypical content. They can also be used to create images that might be problematic in school or social contexts.

Time Limits (Quiet Hours)

What it does: This prevents your teen from using ChatGPT during specified hours, such as bedtime or family time.

Our recommendation: Set reasonable limits that align with your family's screen time rules and sleep research. Most teens need 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night, and screens can interfere with sleep quality. Consider setting quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., or whatever works best for your family's schedule. You can adjust the start and end times to match your teen's bedtime and wakeup routine.

Notifications

In the notifications tab, you can also set ChatGPT to notify you if human reviewers flag your teen's conversations with ChatGPT for certain safety content, including suicide and self-harm. We recommend that you keep this setting ON.

Yes, determined teens can find ways around parental controls, just like with any other technology, including by easily setting up another ChatGPT account that is not linked to your parent ChatGPT account. 

You might notice something's up if you see unusual Wi-Fi or data activity. However, technical issues, such as system updates, can also affect how parental controls work, so unusual behavior doesn't always mean your teen has found a workaround.

Yes, your teen will be aware of the parental controls. The setup process requires their active participation, as they have to accept your invitation and confirm that you're their parent. This transparency is actually a good thing and can encourage healthy discussions.

Common Sense Media doesn't recommend secret monitoring unless you're dealing with a serious safety issue. Open, honest communication about why you're using these tools (to help keep them safe while they learn to use AI responsibly) is more likely to be effective in the long run. At some point, you'll want to discuss what you observe anyway, and that's much easier if your teen already knows you're monitoring their AI use.

Setting up parental controls is just the beginning. Here are some important conversations to have with your teen about AI use:

• AI limitations. Help your teen understand that ChatGPT can provide incorrect information and reflect biases. Teach them to verify important information from other sources.
• Academic integrity. Ensure your teen understands your family's rules regarding the use of AI for homework, and verify their school's policies as well.
• Emotional and mental health boundaries. Discuss why it's not appropriate to use ChatGPT for emotional or mental health support, or as a replacement for human relationships.
• Privacy. Talk about what information is safe to share with AI systems and what should remain private.

Not a replacement for human guidance. Discuss why ChatGPT can't replace teachers, counselors, or parents when it comes to complex academic or personal guidance. It's a tool to supplement learning, not replace human support.

ChatGPT's parental controls are a good first step, but they're not a complete solution for keeping teens safe with AI. Think of them as one tool in your parenting toolkit, alongside ongoing conversations, clear family guidelines, and your active involvement in your teen's digital life.

The most important thing you can do is stay curious and engaged. Try ChatGPT yourself, ask your teen to show you how they use it, and keep the conversation going about both the benefits and risks of AI. Technology will continue to evolve, but your relationship with your teen and your ongoing guidance will always be the most powerful tools for keeping them safe online.

Common Sense Media continues to evaluate AI tools and their impact on young people. For the latest guidance on AI and teens, visit commonsense.org.