Online safety watchdogs are criticizing OpenAI for claiming that teenagers use ChatGPT less than 15 minutes per day on average. Without independent verification, critics like Sebastian Mahal from Design It For Us argue that OpenAI’s data lacks credibility and transparency. The company did not provide specific details about how the usage statistics were gathered or verified, leading to concerns over its accuracy and motives.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Online safety watchdogs criticized OpenAI for its claim that teens use ChatGPT less than 15 minutes per day, calling the data unverified and questionable without independent confirmation. The AI firm launched a limited version of ChatGPT called “ChatGPT for Teens,” aimed at users aged 13 to 17, in response to concerns about its impact on children’s mental health and academic performance. Common Sense Media released research showing that the safety features designed to prevent misuse by teens often failed, such as those meant to notify parents of self-harm conversations or block excessive emotional engagement with the AI system. Despite OpenAI's assertion that ChatGPT promotes healthy use through parental controls and learning-focused interactions, critics argue these measures are insufficient, labeling teen exposure to ChatGPT an "unacceptable risk."
Written for “ChatGPT Teen Usage” on 2026-10-08,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Online safety watchdogs slammed Sam Altman’s OpenAI for claiming the average teen uses ChatGPT less than 15 minutes per day – with one critic saying the data “rings hollow” without outside confirmation.
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data → slam → confirmation
The AI giant released the 15-minute figure in its first report on “ChatGPT for Teens” – a limited version of its chatbot for kids ages 13 to 17.
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giant → release → kids
The program was OpenAI’s answer to mounting scrutiny about how AI chatbots are affecting the mental and emotional health of children – with some critics linking chatbots to declining grades, suicidal thoughts and even self-harm.
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critics → mount → grades
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deals → end → ?
OpenAI said research showed teens spend “under 15 minutes a day on ChatGPT” on average, with less than 2% of teen users spending more than three straight hours on the chatbot.
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% → say → chatbot
The company’s blog post did not contain specifics about those data points or how they were determined.
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they → contain → points
The lack of transparency and independent verification of OpenAI’s claims is cause for concern, according to Sebastian Mahal, co-chair of the kids safety group Design It For Us.
uncertain
lack → accord → Us
“OpenAI’s claim that teens are safe on its products rings just as hollow unless backed by independent verification, especially as the company faces lawsuits and mounting scrutiny over harms to young users’ mental health and safety,” Mahal said in a statement.
uncertain
Mahal → ring → statement
“If OpenAI were serious about protecting young people, it would support strong, enforceable laws that hold AI companies accountable for how they design their products,” he added.
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he → protect → products
Reached for comment, an OpenAI spokesperson said the company is working with independent third-party researchers to compile data on teen ChatGPT usage.
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company → reach → usage
OpenAI plans to publish a more complete version of its research in the coming months.
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OpenAI → plan → months
The company asserted that a feature urging teen users to take breaks from ChatGPT has been effective.
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feature → assert → ChatGPT
In nearly half of conversations where teens were told to take a break, the user either complied or ended the chat entirely within five minutes, the company claimed.
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company → tell → minutes
ChatGPT for Teens includes tools for parents to control what their kids see when interacting with the chatbot, including limits on sensitive topics.
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kids → include → topics
“Even if OpenAI is telling the truth, we are still talking about potentially hundreds of thousands of kids being harmed on ChatGPT,” said Brendan Bouffard, the associate general counsel for AI and privacy issues at nonprofit Fairplay.
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Bouffard → tell → Fairplay
A Pew Research survey released last December found that about 59% of teens used ChatGPT.
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% → release → ChatGPT
“That means potentially half a million teens use ChatGPT for three hours straight or more,” Bouffard said.
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Bouffard → mean → hours
“That number should terrify us all given the well-documented dangers of AI chatbots for kids.”
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number → terrify → kids
The institute’s testing found that ChatGPT didn’t reliably send alerts to parents when teens talked to the chatbot about suicidal ideation, self-harm or disordered eating.
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teens → find → ideation
The teen account feature also struggled to consistently provide the right crisis hotlines in emergency situations.
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feature → struggle → situations
Elsewhere, safeguards meant to stop kids from using ChatGPT to do their homework were “easy to circumvent” and “often surfaced a ‘Show me the answer’ pop-up within study mode and completed full homework assignments when this was selected,” Common Sense Media said.
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Media → mean → assignments
OpenAI pushed back on the findings, arguing Common Sense Media’s tests did not “accurately reflect” how the teen safeguards function.
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safeguards → push → findings
As for the time-spent data promoted by OpenAI, a Youth AI Safety Institute spokesperson said “even 15 minutes can have a big impact on the development of a child.”
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minutes → promote → child
“An average measure of use time isn’t the stat that matters for keeping kids safe,” the spokesperson added.
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spokesperson → matter → kids
“We learned from social media that the more-important data points are about the heaviest users – the top 10%.
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points → learn → users
That’s where the potential harm is concentrated.
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harm → ’ → ?
We’d love for OpenAI to be more transparent about user distribution and what specifically kids are chatting about.”
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kids → love → what
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