How to Set up Parental Controls in ChatGPT

AI chatbots like ChatGPT are powerful, smart, and fun — but they also come with risks, especially for younger users. As a parent, you’ll want to strike a balance: let your child benefit from the tool, but also protect them from inappropriate content, misinformation, or misuse. This guide will walk you through what is possible today, what’s coming soon, and what actions you should take now to make ChatGPT safer for your family.

1. Understand What ChatGPT Is and Why Parental Controls Matter

ChatGPT is a conversational AI developed by OpenAI that can answer questions, write text, help with homework, generate ideas, and more.
Important: ChatGPT is not built specifically for kids. According to the official help page, it is not meant for children under 13, and ages 13-18 need parental consent. (OpenAI Help Center)
Other organizations note that children may still access it and may encounter content that is not age-appropriate, or may rely on it in ways that are not healthy (e.g., cheating on homework, emotional dependence). (childnet.com)
Because of these concerns, parental controls or equivalent safeguards become important: to monitor usage, set boundaries, protect privacy, and guide how the tool is used.

2. What Controls and Safeguards Currently Exist

✅ Official Changes on the Horizon

OpenAI has announced new parental-control features for ChatGPT, scheduled to roll out soon. These include the ability for a parent to link their account with their teen’s (13+ yrs) via email invite, manage how ChatGPT behaves for the teen, disable certain features (chat history, memory), and get alerts if the system detects “acute distress.” (OpenAI)
Note: While the features are announced, they may not yet be fully available in all regions or versions. Keep an eye on updates.

⚠️ What Is Not Available (Yet)

Many sources point out that currently, ChatGPT lacks robust built-in parental controls for younger children (especially under 13) or full monitoring/oversight of every interaction. (protectyoungeyes.com)
Because of this gap, parents must use device-based controls, supervision, and discussion to fill the gap.

3. Step-By-Step: How to Set Up Safeguards Today

Even if full parental controls are not yet fully rolled out, you can take the following steps now.

Step 1: Review Age and Account Requirements

Make sure you know: for ChatGPT, children under 13 aren’t supposed to use it independently. (OpenAI Help Center)
If your child is 13-17, you should provide consent, set up usage rules, and possibly link accounts once feature is available.

Step 2: Create a Family or Shared Usage Strategy

Consider having your child use ChatGPT only when you’re around, or on a shared family device.
Make a “family agreement” about when, how, and for what the tool can be used: e.g., homework help, writing ideas, creative projects — but no unsupervised usage at night or for tasks where cheating is a concern. (childnet.com)
Select a device or location (living room, family PC) rather than private room if possible.

Step 3: Use Device-Level Parental Controls

Since ChatGPT itself may not yet offer full controls, use the tools your device provides:

On iOS / iPadOS: Screen Time > App Limits, Content & Privacy Restrictions.
On Android: Google Family Link (or other parental-control apps) to limit apps, schedule screen-time limits, approve app downloads.
On computer: Use user accounts with child/teen profiles, off-hours settings, browser filtering.
These aren’t specific to ChatGPT, but they help control access. (FlashGet Kids)

Step 4: In-App Settings in ChatGPT (Where Available)

When you or your child is using ChatGPT, check for the following features:

Chat history: You can disable saving of chat history in Settings → Data Controls so that conversations aren’t stored. (protectyoungeyes.com)
Personalization / Training of model: Turn off “Improve ChatGPT” or “Use my data to train models” if available. (protectyoungeyes.com)
Once the new features roll out: link parent-teen account (via email invitation) and set restrictions (disable memory, disable certain features). See OpenAI’s blog. (OpenAI)

Step 5: Set Usage Boundaries & Educate Your Child

Talk with your child about what ChatGPT can and cannot do: It might produce wrong information, it is not always reliable, and they should check facts. (Common Sense Media)
Discuss what kind of use is acceptable: creative writing, brainstorming, learning — vs. “do my homework for me”.
Agree on screen-time limits (how many minutes/hours per day), tech-free times (e.g., no ChatGPT after 9 pm), and appropriate topics.
Ask your child not to share personal information in chats. Emphasise that the chatbot is not a human and doesn’t have real emotions.

Step 6: Monitor and Re-evaluate

Periodically check your child’s usage (how often, for what purpose) and talk to them about their experience.
Pay attention to signs of over-dependence (e.g., too long sessions, avoidance of other activities, emotional attachment).
Adjust the rules as your child grows older or as new ChatGPT features appear.

4. What to Do When the Full Parental Control Features Are Available

When the announced OpenAI parental controls are fully live for your region, plan to use them as follows:

Parent → send invite to teen account to “link” accounts. (Teen must accept.)
Configure restrictions: disable memory, disable chat history, disable certain features (voice, image generation if available) for the teen account. (Reuters)
Set “quiet hours” when ChatGPT is inaccessible for that teen account (if the feature is available). (Business Insider)
Enable notifications: Receive alerts if the system detects “acute distress” in the teen’s conversation (only summary information, not full transcripts). (Reuters)
Review and update settings as needed: as the teen matures, you might loosen or tighten the restrictions.
Continue to combine these controls with device-level controls and open conversations.

5. Additional Safety Tips & Considerations

Understand that no parental control is perfect: AI systems can still make mistakes, or children may find work-arounds. Continual dialogue is important.
Privacy: Monitor usage without violating trust. For older teens, you might want to give them more independence while still staying available for discussion.
Encourage healthy balance: Make sure ChatGPT isn’t replacing human interaction, creativity, or other learning activities. (Carrots&Cake)
Be aware of academic integrity: Using ChatGPT to simply produce essays may undercut your child’s learning and honesty. (Common Sense Media)
Stay informed: Since features are rolling out, keep an eye on the official blog from OpenAI and the help-center for updates. (OpenAI)

6. Sample Parent-Child Agreement Template

You might put something like this in writing with your child:

Family ChatGPT Agreement
I may use ChatGPT only when a parent is nearby / on a shared device.
I will not use ChatGPT after 9 pm or during school/homework hours without permission.
I will use ChatGPT for learning, creativity or brainstorming — not just to have it do all my homework.
I will not share my personal information (full name, address, phone, school) with ChatGPT.
If I see something that upsets me or makes me uncomfortable in ChatGPT, I will tell a parent or guardian.
Mom/Dad will check in weekly about how I used ChatGPT and together we’ll decide if the rules need to change.

You can adapt this to your family’s values, your child’s age, and your household routines.

7. Conclusion

Parental controls and safeguards for ChatGPT are essential given the power of the tool and the age-related risks. While the full built-in controls from OpenAI are still rolling out, you don’t have to wait: you can set up device controls, shared usage rules, family agreements and have open conversations today. Then, when the official features (parent-linked accounts, feature disabling, alerts) become available, you’ll be ready to use them and keep your child’s AI-experience both safe and enriching.

By staying engaged, educated and proactive, you’ll help your child learn with ChatGPT — rather than simply being at risk from it.

Mark Vincent

Tech enthusiast and content creator passionate about making technology simple for everyone. I share practical tips, guides, and reviews on the latest in computers, software, and gadgets. Let’s explore the digital world together!