In response to growing concerns about AI’s effects on children and teenagers, OpenAI has introduced a new safety feature for ChatGPT that predicts a user’s age and limits access to sensitive content for accounts likely belonging to minors.
New announcement came from OpenAI that “age prediction” feature as part of its ongoing efforts to protect young users on ChatGPT.
The system is intended, the company said, to help identify minors and apply appropriate content constraints, especially around sensitive topics, without relying solely on self-reported age information.
Growing scrutiny over ChatGPT
Increasing criticism has been faced by OpenAI in recent years over how ChatGPT affects children and teenagers.
Various teen suicides have been linked to interactions with the chatbot, while the company has also been criticized for allowing discussions of sexual topics with young users. Last April, OpenAI addressed a bug that enabled ChatGPT to generate erotic content for users under the age of 18.
How age prediction system works
As per a blog post published Tuesday, the new feature uses an AI algorithm that evaluates “behavioral and account-level signals” to estimate a user’s age.
These signals include the user’s stated age, how long the account has existed, and typical activity times. OpenAI says this approach helps identify underage users more accurately than relying on age declarations alone.
If the system predicts that an account belongs to someone under 18, ChatGPT automatically applies existing content filters.
These filters are designed to restrict discussions involving sex, violence, and other potentially harmful topics, adding another layer of protection for younger users on the platform.
OpenAI acknowledged that the system may occasionally misidentify adult users as minors.
Similarly, users can restore full access by verifying their age. This process involves submitting a selfie to OpenAI’s identity verification partner, Persona, to confirm adulthood.
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