ChatGPT May Soon Demand Your ID: OpenAI Puts Teen Safety Over Adult Privacy

OpenAI has announced new safety measures for ChatGPT that could require adult users to verify their identities, including through ID checks. The move follows growing concerns about teen safety on the platform after lawsuits alleged the chatbot contributed to harmful behavior in minors.

The company says it is developing an AI-powered age-prediction system to separate users under 18 from adults. Teens will be routed to a restricted version of ChatGPT with safeguards against explicit content, while adults may need to prove their age to access the full service. “We know this is a privacy compromise for adults, but it is a worthy tradeoff,” CEO Sam Altman said, stressing that protecting young users takes priority.

The technology is still experimental. Studies suggest that predicting age from text alone is unreliable, especially when users try to deceive the system. Unlike platforms such as YouTube or Instagram that can analyze photos and social networks, ChatGPT must rely solely on language patterns.

Alongside age checks, OpenAI will roll out parental controls by the end of September. Parents will be able to link their accounts to teenagers’ accounts, block features like memory and chat history, set usage curfews, and receive alerts if the system detects signs of distress. In extreme cases where parents cannot be reached, law enforcement may be notified.

These changes come as OpenAI faces scrutiny over its safety protocols. In one lawsuit, parents claim ChatGPT failed to intervene after their 16-year-old son exchanged hundreds of suicide-related messages with the AI. Researchers have also warned that chatbots can offer dangerous advice or reinforce unhealthy behavior during long conversations.

OpenAI admits that balancing privacy, safety, and technical limitations remains a challenge. Still, the company argues that stricter measures are necessary to make ChatGPT safer for teens even if adults must accept new restrictions to use it.