Many teens use ChatGPT for homework and for fun. So parents are asking a big question: is it safe? This week, two reports gave very different answers.

What Did the Watchdog Say?

In August, OpenAI launched ChatGPT for Teens, a special mode for people under 18. The Common Sense Media Youth AI Safety Institute tested it with more than 4,000 prompts. It decided the chatbot is an “unacceptable risk,” its worst rating, for all users under 18, according to TNND, reported by KATV.

The testers also said ChatGPT for Teens missed more than one in four times when a user might have needed to be pointed toward help for a mental health crisis. The group said OpenAI should pause marketing the teen mode until it builds a safe experience that fits a teen’s age.

What Did OpenAI Say?

The same report says OpenAI is “deeply committed” to teen safety and offers safeguards and tools for parents. But the company said it does not think the tests show how its teen protections work in real life.

OpenAI also shared its first teen report. A summary of a Reuters story says the typical teen uses the app less than 15 minutes a day, and about 2% use it for more than three hours.

Why Do the Reports Disagree?

Think of two people looking at a swimming pool. One checks if the lifeguard misses any signals during a stress test. The other counts how many kids swim safely on an average day. Both facts matter, but they answer different questions. One asks, “What goes wrong when we test the hard cases?” The other asks, “How do most teens use it?”

What Can Families Do?

Talk with your teen about how they use AI. Ask what they like about it and what it gets wrong. Remember that a chatbot is not a doctor or a counselor. If a young person is struggling, a trusted grown-up or a professional is a better helper than any app.

Why Does It Matter?

AI is now part of growing up. How safe it is for young people is one of the biggest questions in AI safety, and it will likely keep making headlines.

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