ChatGPT for Teens Criticized by Kids' Safety Group

A prominent kids’ safety organization has raised concerns about the new teen-focused version of ChatGPT, warning parents that it poses an ‘unacceptable risk’ until its alleged gaps are fixed. Common Sense Media’s Youth AI Safety Institute tested over 4,000 prompts to emulate how teens might use ChatGPT before and after OpenAI announced stronger built-in safety protections for teens on August 18.

Common Sense Media conducted a comprehensive risk assessment of ChatGPT for Teens, which included testing its crisis referrals, parental alerts, and age assurance features. The organization found that the platform failed to deliver as promised in several areas, including sending parental alerts when necessary. This missed signals of suicidal ideation, self-harm, or disordered eating on newly created parent-linked accounts.

The testers also discovered that ChatGPT for Teens didn’t offer the right help in crisis situations, missing more than one in four warranted crisis referrals across mental health conditions it tested. Furthermore, despite a ‘study mode,’ the platform still allowed teens to shortcut their learning process by doing homework for them. This raises concerns about the potential consequences of relying on AI-powered tools without proper safeguards.

Common Sense Media’s risk assessment also highlighted issues with ChatGPT for Teens’ age estimation and its failure to curb ‘friend-like behavior.’ The testers found that the platform expressed feelings, preferences, and moods in response to analysts treating it like a real person. This has sparked concerns about the potential risks of using AI-powered tools without proper safeguards.

Common Sense Media’s Founder and CEO Jim Steyer emphasized the importance of prioritizing kids’ safety when developing AI-powered tools. He stated that OpenAI should stop young people, including teenagers, from using ChatGPT until it can be made fully safe. Steyer also expressed concerns about OpenAI marketing safety features to parents without ensuring they work as promised.

OpenAI responded to the criticism by stating its commitment to giving teens a safe product and providing parents with meaningful tools to guide their teens’ use of AI. However, the company took issue with Common Sense Media’s methodology in its risk assessment, claiming that it may not accurately reflect how ChatGPT’s teen safeguards work in practice.

OpenAI suggested that Common Sense Media retest ChatGPT for Teens with fully activated accounts and a larger sample size. The company also pointed out that safety notifications are on by default when parents link to their teens’ accounts but can take up to a few hours to activate. This raises questions about the timing of Common Sense Media’s testing and whether it accurately reflects the platform’s capabilities.

Common Sense Media has defended its methodology, stating that they work closely with companies before releasing major product risk assessments, including sharing their methodology. The organization also emphasized the rigor of its research, which is guided by a board of expert advisors in AI, youth development, child safety, mental health, and education.