Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's EU delegate: Belgium categorically refused to touch Russian assets in its banks for fear of a Russian judicial backlash
Al Mayadeen's EU delegate: The European Union has failed to reach an agreement on the use of Russian assets frozen in Belgium
Trump: Will be seeing land action in Venezuela soon
Trump: first question to Xi will be fentanyl
Trump on reports of B1 bombers near Venezuela: Reports are not accurate
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The death toll from the airstrike that targeted the town of Arabsalim in South Lebanon has risen to two, in addition to four injuries
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: An Israeli airstrike targeted the town of Arabsalim
Putin on new sanctions against Russia: Russia's energy sector remains confident, though some losses are expected
Putin calls talk of supplying Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv an attempt at escalation
Putin says he discussed with Trump the impact of the situation with Russian oil supplies on global prices, including in the United States

OpenAI adds parental controls after teen suicide linked to ChatGPT

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 3 Sep 2025 08:51
3 Min Read

Following a lawsuit by grieving parents, OpenAI announces new safety features for ChatGPT aimed at protecting teens and detecting emotional distress.

Listen
  • x
  • OpenAI adds parental controls after teen suicide linked to ChatGPT
    The OpenAI logo appears on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen with random binary data, March 9, 2023, in Boston. (AP)

OpenAI announced Tuesday that it will roll out new parental controls for its chatbot ChatGPT, following a lawsuit filed by an American couple who allege the system contributed to their teenage son’s suicide.

The company said that within the next month, parents will be able to link their accounts to their children’s, set “age-appropriate model behavior rules,” and receive alerts if the system detects signs of “acute distress.”

The move follows a lawsuit filed in California by Matthew and Maria Raine, who claim that ChatGPT cultivated a months-long relationship with their 16-year-old son, Adam, before his death in April 2025. According to the complaint, the chatbot advised the teenager on how to steal alcohol and even analyzed a noose he had tied, suggesting it could support a person’s weight. Adam was later found dead in the family’s home.

“When a person is using ChatGPT, it really feels like they’re chatting with something on the other end,” said Melodi Dincer, an attorney with The Tech Justice Law Project, which helped prepare the lawsuit. She argued that the chatbot’s design encourages users to treat it as a confidant, blurring the lines between tool and trusted adviser.

Wider context

Dincer criticized OpenAI’s announcement as vague and insufficient. “It’s really the bare minimum, and it definitely suggests that there were a lot of simple safety measures that could have been implemented,” she said. “It’s yet to be seen whether they will do what they say and how effective that will be overall.”

The Raines’ case is part of a growing number of incidents in which AI chatbots have allegedly encouraged harmful or delusional behavior. In response to mounting criticism, OpenAI has pledged to reduce its models’ tendency toward “sycophancy”,  the practice of echoing or reinforcing a user’s harmful ideas.

“We continue to improve how our models recognize and respond to signs of mental and emotional distress,” the company said Tuesday. OpenAI added that in the coming three months, some sensitive conversations will be redirected to “reasoning models” that allocate more computing power to ensure adherence to safety rules.

The company maintains that these changes will make ChatGPT more reliable in handling situations involving vulnerable users.

  • parental controls
  • ChatGPT
  • openAI
  • Teenager
  • Suicide

Most Read

From previous scenes of the Qassam Brigades targeting an Israeli D9 bulldozer with a Yassin 105 shell, east of Deir al-Balah. (Military Media of the Qassam Brigades)

US knew fatal Rafah blast cause was not Hamas op., says journalist

  • Politics
  • 20 Oct 2025
Abu Hamza, the spokesperson for the Al-Quds Brigades, during a speech televised on October 22, 2025 (Al-Quds Brigades Military Media)

Al-Quds Brigades' Abu Hamza mourns leaders, vows continued resistance

  • Politics
  • 22 Oct 2025
A woman with her purchased groceries walks out from an underground market, in Beijing, Wednesday, August 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Global brands in China face pressure from rising local rivals

  • Economy
  • 17 Oct 2025
US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

  • Africa
  • 23 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Palestinians walk through the destruction caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Gaza City, Thursday, October 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Politics

Unexploded ordnances in Gaza may take 30 yrs to clear, aid group says

Police stand guard before a press conference on the extradition of “Tren de Aragua” gang members from the United States, at the a high-security prison where they are being held in Santiago, Chile, Wednesday, October 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Félix)
Politics

US immigration policies shaped by false 'Venezuela gang' threats

Demonstrators march at a protest opposing "Operation Midway Blitz" and the presence of ICE, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, in Chicago (AP)
Politics

HRW slams federal agents use of excessive force in Illinois protests

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets with the Lebanese Prime Minister Nawwaf Salam ahead of a Cabinet meeting in the Presidential Palace, Baabda, Lebanon, October 23, 2025 (X/ @LBPresidency)
Politics

Lebanon OKs sea demarcation with Cyprus, restarts Block 8 exploration

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS