ChatGPT is not allowed for kids under 13. Ages 13 to 17 get a teen version with extra limits, and a parent can link to it. This page covers the age rules, what the teen version changes and what an October 2026 safety review found.
The age rules
- Under 13: not allowed. This is OpenAI's own rule.
- 13 to 17: allowed with a parent's permission.
- How OpenAI knows: an account that gives an age of 13 to 17 gets the teen version. OpenAI also runs age prediction on accounts, and when it is not confident that a user is an adult, it applies the under-18 version. An adult sorted into it by mistake can verify their age.
What the teen version changes
On a teen account linked to a parent, ChatGPT cuts back graphic content, viral challenges, sexual, romantic or violent role-play, and what OpenAI calls extreme beauty ideals. The parent can also block hours, switch off voice and image generation, and get an alert if the teen appears to be at risk. The parent cannot read the chats. Setup is on our parental controls page.
Is ChatGPT safe for kids?
Common Sense Media reviewed ChatGPT for Teens in October 2026 and rated it an "unacceptable risk." According to the report, alerts to parents did not fire on new linked accounts, the product missed "more than one in four warranted crisis referrals," its study mode "still did kids' homework for them," and its age estimation did not work.
OpenAI disputes the result. It says the testing may have finished before the parental controls were fully active, which "can take up to a few hours" after linking, and it has asked Common Sense Media to retest.
Both statements are a week old as this page is written. If your teen uses ChatGPT, treat the alerts as a backup and keep the conversation with your teen as the main safeguard.
If your kid is under 13
Two tools accept younger kids through a parent:
- Khanmigo. A parent subscribes and adds the kids. It is built for schoolwork and leads toward the answer.
- Gemini. In 2025 Google began letting kids under 13 use Gemini on accounts a parent supervises through Family Link. The parent can turn it off.
If your teen already uses it
Link the accounts, set quiet hours for the night, and ask your teen to show you one conversation they found useful.
Sources: OpenAI help center on parental controls and age prediction, Common Sense Media's assessment as reported on October 7, 2026, Bitdefender's guide of January 2026.