ChatGPT for Teens Unsafe, Common Sense Media Report Finds
Non-profit urges OpenAI to pause marketing and restrict adolescent use due to safety concerns.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

A teen holds a phone in her hand sitting at a kitchen table.
Photograph: Mashable (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Common Sense Media's Youth AI Safety Institute has identified significant safety problems with ChatGPT for Teens.
- The report recommends OpenAI pause marketing and prohibit adolescents from using the chatbot.
- Testers found parental notifications failed to trigger during conversations about suicide, self-harm, or disordered eating.
- OpenAI disputes the report's findings, stating the research may have been conducted before parental controls were fully active.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 14 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 18 of the 32 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
65/100
Hype
41/100
32 sources · methodology
A report by Common Sense Media's Youth AI Safety Institute has concluded that ChatGPT for Teens presents "unacceptable risks" to users aged 13 to 17. The institute is calling for OpenAI to stop marketing the product and to prevent adolescents from using it until safety issues are resolved. OpenAI has disputed the report's findings, suggesting the testing may have occurred before parental controls were fully implemented.
Disputed Findings on Safety Features
The report states that testers found parental notifications failed to activate during conversations involving suicide, self-harm, or disordered eating, even when exchanges lasted up to an hour. OpenAI contends that most testing may have been conducted before parental controls were fully activated, rendering the findings inaccurate. The company also stated that its internal monitoring conflicts with the report's conclusions regarding parental notifications. Common Sense Media, however, maintains its methodology and results, asserting that parental alerts remain unreliable for crisis situations.
Further issues were identified with the 'Study Mode' feature. The report found that the 'show me the answer' option completed homework for teens in a significant percentage of cases. This option appeared in 43 percent of responses for a 13-year-old test user with a linked parental account during Study Hours, and 90 percent of the time for an unlinked 17-year-old account. Testers also found that Study Hours could be circumvented by deleting a prefix from the chat box, allowing access to the regular ChatGPT which then completed assignments.
The report also raised concerns about age assurance, stating that ChatGPT could not reliably determine a user's age. Accounts registered as adults, but referencing adolescent experiences, were not reclassified as teen accounts. Even when a specific age like 13 was disclosed, the account did not receive additional safeguards or feature limits.
What the coverage left out
None of the left, centre, or right-rated reports mention that Common Sense Media has received philanthropic funding from the OpenAI Foundation, although they state the testing is independent.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 8 times, most recently on 7 Oct 2026, 15:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
7 rated outlets
- Seven left-rated reports led on the core finding that ChatGPT for Teens is unsafe. Mashable, PC Mag, TNW, Axios, Los Angeles Times, The Verge, and Futurism all highlighted the "unacceptable risk" or "unsafe" nature of the product. These reports detailed the failure of parental notifications during crisis conversations, the issues with the 'show me the answer' function in Study Mode, and the concerns about age assurance. Axios stated, "Not safe for kids": advocacy group urges OpenAI to keep teens off ChatGPT, while Los Angeles Times reported, "ChatGPT’s teen safeguards failed to alert parents during suicide conversations, report finds."
Centre
3 rated outlets
- Three centre-rated reports focused on the "unacceptable risk" classification and the call for OpenAI to restrict access. Quartz, Bloomberg, and Education Week all reported that Common Sense Media rated ChatGPT for Teens as an "unacceptable risk" and that the non-profit wants OpenAI to restrict users to 18 and older. Education Week noted that "ChatGPT's 'Teen Mode' Is Unsafe for Students, Report Concludes," and highlighted the chatbot's failure to report unsafe interactions to parents in a timely manner.
Right
4 rated outlets
- Three right-rated reports also led with the "unacceptable risk" finding. Latestly, news-pravda.com, and Reformatorisch Dagblad reported that ChatGPT poses an "unacceptable risk" to teens. News-pravda.com's headline stated, "A teenager can spend hours discussing self, harm with ChatGPT - and his parents won't know about it," focusing on the parental notification failures. Reformatorisch Dagblad reported that the organization calls on OpenAI to deny teenagers aged 13 to 17 access to ChatGPT until it can provide a safe experience.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover ChatGPT for Teens Unsafe, Common Sense Media Report Finds?
- Of the 14 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 54% are rated left, 23% are rated centre, 23% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 32. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is ChatGPT for Teens Unsafe, Common Sense Media Report Finds left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 14 rated outlets on this story, 54% are rated left, 23% are rated centre, 23% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of ChatGPT for Teens Unsafe, Common Sense Media Report Finds biased?
- ChatGPT for Teens Unsafe, Common Sense Media Report Finds is one event reported by 32 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which outlets covered ChatGPT for Teens Unsafe, Common Sense Media Report Finds?
- 32 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What are the main safety concerns raised about ChatGPT for Teens?
- The primary concerns raised by Common Sense Media include the failure of parental notifications during conversations about suicide, self-harm, or disordered eating. Additionally, the report noted issues with the 'show me the answer' feature in Study Mode completing homework and difficulties in enforcing age restrictions.
- What does the report recommend OpenAI do?
- The report calls on OpenAI to pause marketing of ChatGPT for Teens and prohibit adolescents from using the chatbot. It suggests that access should be restricted until OpenAI can address the identified safety problems and ensure a developmentally appropriate experience for young users.
- How has OpenAI responded to the report's findings?
- OpenAI has disputed the report's claims, characterizing the research as flawed. The company suggested that much of the testing may have been conducted before parental controls were fully activated, which they believe would make the findings inaccurate. OpenAI also stated that its internal monitoring conflicts with the report's conclusions.
Read it at the source
32 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
7- Can You Trust ChatGPT for Teens? Report Finds ‘Unacceptable Risk to Kids’ (opens PC Mag in a new tab)
- ChatGPT for Teens is unsafe for under-18s, Common Sense Media says (opens TNW in a new tab)
- "Not safe for kids": advocacy group urges OpenAI to keep teens off ChatGPT (opens Axios in a new tab)
- OpenAI's "ChatGPT for Teens" Is an "Unsafe" Mess, Testing Finds (opens Futurism in a new tab)
- Report: ChatGPT for Teens unsafe (opens Mashable in a new tab)
- ChatGPT for Teens is an ‘unacceptable risk,’ says Common Sense Media (opens The Verge in a new tab)
- ChatGPT’s teen safeguards failed to alert parents during suicide conversations, report finds (opens Los Angeles Times in a new tab)
Los Angeles Times — is Los Angeles Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
3- Common Sense Media rates ChatGPT for Teens an unacceptable risk (opens Quartz in a new tab)
- ChatGPT for Teens Is Not Safe for Kids, Report Says (opens Bloomberg in a new tab)
- ChatGPT's 'Teen Mode' Is Unsafe for Students, Report Concludes (opens Education Week in a new tab)
Education Week — is Education Week biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
4- Study Raises Concerns Over ChatGPT’s Protections For Teen Users (opens tippinsights in a new tab)
tippinsights — is tippinsights biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ChatGPT Poses ‘Unacceptable Risk’ to Teens, Finds Common Sense Media Study (opens Latestly in a new tab)
- • A teenager can spend hours discussing self—harm with ChatGPT - and his parents won't know about it (opens news-pravda.com in a new tab)
news-pravda.com — is news-pravda.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Report: Youth Variant of ChatGPT Too Risky for Teenagers (opens Reformatorisch Dagblad in a new tab)
Reformatorisch Dagblad — is Reformatorisch Dagblad biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
18- Study Reveals ChatGPT Not Safe for Young Users (opens The CSR Journal in a new tab)
The CSR Journal — is The CSR Journal biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Study Raises Concerns Over ChatGPT’s Protections For Teen Users (opens BizToc in a new tab)
- Expert Assessment: ChatGPT Teen Version Is Not Safe Either (opens خبرآنلاین in a new tab)
خبرآنلاینOpinion
- ChatGPT for Adolescents Fails in Safety and Presents "Unacceptable Risks", According to Common Sense Media (opens noticiasdealava.eus in a new tab)
noticiasdealava.eus — is noticiasdealava.eus biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ChatGPT for Adolescents Fails in Safety and Presents "Unacceptable Risks", According to Common Sense Media (opens noticiasdegipuzkoa.eus in a new tab)
noticiasdegipuzkoa.eus — is noticiasdegipuzkoa.eus biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ChatGPT for Adolescents Fails in Safety and Presents "Unacceptable Risks", According to Common Sense Media (opens Noticias de Navarra in a new tab)
Noticias de Navarra — is Noticias de Navarra biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ChatGPT for Adolescents Fails in Safety and Presents "Unacceptable Risks", According to Common Sense Media (opens Deia in a new tab)
- Expert Assessment: Even the ChatGPT Teen Version Is Not Safe for People Under 18 (opens دیجیاتو in a new tab)
دیجیاتوOpinion
Show 10 more
- ChatGPT rated "unacceptable risk" for teens after parental alerts failed during suicide conversations (opens The Decoder in a new tab)
The Decoder — is The Decoder biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Report: Youth Version of ChatGPT Too Risky (opens villamedia.nl in a new tab)
villamedia.nl — is villamedia.nl biased? Our profile of this outlet
- OpenAI Chat-Bot Carries Unacceptable Risks for Children, Declared in the U.S. (opens 1prime.ru in a new tab)
- Study Classifies ChatGPT as an "Unacceptable Risk" for Young People (opens the-decoder.de in a new tab)
the-decoder.de — is the-decoder.de biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ChatGPT Poses 'Unacceptable Risk' to Young People, New Report Finds (opens Heti Világgazdaság in a new tab)
Heti Világgazdaság — is Heti Világgazdaság biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Common Sense Media Report Says ChatGPT for Teens Is Not Safe for Children (opens La República in a new tab)
La República — is La República biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ChatGPT for Adolescents Fails in Safety and Presents "Unacceptable Risks", According to Common Sense Media (opens diarioestrategia.cl in a new tab)
diarioestrategia.cl — is diarioestrategia.cl biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Report: Youth Variant of ChatGPT Too Risky for Teenagers (opens welingelichtekringen.nl in a new tab)
welingelichtekringen.nl — is welingelichtekringen.nl biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ChatGPT Too Risky for Teenagers, According to Report (opens Nieuws.nl in a new tab)
- Why My Conversations With OpenAI’s ‘ChatGPT For Teens’ Made Me Very Worried (opens onlinemarketingscoops.com in a new tab)
onlinemarketingscoops.com — is onlinemarketingscoops.com biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
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