ChatGPT predicts user age to protect teenagers
OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, has announced that it is further strengthening its efforts to improve safety for teenagers by adding the ability for ChatGPT to predict the user's age.
Our approach to age prediction | OpenAI
In an effort to protect young users, ChatGPT will now predict how old you are | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/20/in-an-effort-to-protect-young-users-chatgpt-will-now-predict-how-old-you-are/
On January 20, 2026, local time, OpenAI announced that it would introduce an age prediction feature to ChatGPT's personal plan, which will enable it to determine whether an account is likely to belong to a user under the age of 18, thereby providing an appropriate user experience and safety measures for teenagers.
'As outlined in our Teen Safety Blueprint and Under-18 Principles , young people have a right to technology that expands their opportunities and protects their well-being,' OpenAI explains.
Age Prediction builds on our existing protections by automatically applying additional protections to teens who indicate they are under 18 when they sign up to reduce their exposure to sensitive or potentially harmful content, treating adults as adults and allowing them to use our tools in the way they want, within their own safety.
OpenAI uses an age prediction model to estimate whether a user is under 18. The model predicts age by combining behavioral and account-level signals, such as the account's tenure, the time of day the user is active, usage patterns over time, and the user's reported age. Furthermore, by introducing the age prediction feature, OpenAI is able to learn which signals lead to improved age prediction accuracy and continuously improve the model based on that learning.
Users who have been mistakenly classified as under 18 can verify their age by uploading a selfie using Persona, a secure identity verification service. Once verified, they can quickly and easily regain full access to ChatGPT at any time. You can always check if your account has added safety measures by going to 'Settings' > 'Account.'
If the age prediction model predicts that an account belongs to a user under the age of 18, ChatGPT will begin reducing exposure to content such as:
- Brutal violence and cruel content
Viral challenges that may encourage dangerous or harmful behavior among minors
- Sexual, romantic, or violent role-playing
-Depictions of self-harm
- Content that promotes extreme beauty standards, unhealthy dieting, or body image bias
These limits are based on expert opinion and academic literature on child development and take into account known differences in risk perception, impulse control, peer influence, and emotion regulation among teenagers. While content restrictions help reduce teenagers' exposure to sensitive content, OpenAI explained, 'We are committed to continually improving our safeguards, particularly to address attempts to circumvent them. When age is unclear or information is incomplete, we prioritize a safer experience.'
Additionally, parents can further customize their teen's experience through parental controls.
ChatGPT finally adds parental control feature to help parents manage their children's AI usage - GIGAZINE
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