ChatGPT age verification, teen mode and adult mode

How old you have to be to use ChatGPT

OpenAI's Terms of Use set a minimum age of 13, or higher where a country requires it. Users aged 13 to 17 need a parent's or legal guardian's permission. OpenAI's Privacy Policy lists estimating a user's age among the purposes it uses personal data for.

How ChatGPT predicts your age

OpenAI said on September 16, 2025 that it was building an age prediction system, and it began rolling the system out on consumer plans on January 20, 2026. It said on August 25, 2026 that the rollout had begun in the EU.

• The model uses account and behavior signals, such as how long the account has existed, when the user is usually active, usage patterns over time, the user's stated age and the general topics discussed.
• It can place an account in the teen experience even if the user entered an adult birth date at sign-up.
• When age is in doubt, OpenAI says ChatGPT defaults to the under-18 experience.

What the teen experience changes

When ChatGPT estimates a user may be under 18, it adds protections that reduce graphic violence and gore, risky viral challenges, sexual, romantic or violent role play, depictions of self-harm, and content promoting extreme beauty standards or unhealthy dieting. The account stays active, and OpenAI says it does not show ads to it.

On August 18, 2026, OpenAI launched ChatGPT for Teens, which applies automatically when its system estimates a user is under 18 or the user states an age of 13 to 17. It adds break reminders and rules against romantic language, encouraging emotional dependence, or implying ChatGPT has feelings.

How to verify your age if ChatGPT gets it wrong

OpenAI says adults placed in the teen experience can verify from Settings, then Account, then Age, by selecting Verify age. Verification is handled by Persona, a third-party company, and OpenAI says whether verification is available varies by account. You are not required to verify; you can keep using ChatGPT with teen protections.

• Depending on the country, Persona may ask for a live selfie, a government ID, or both.
• OpenAI says Persona deletes the ID or selfie within 7 days, and OpenAI receives only your date of birth or an age result.
• Once you verify, OpenAI says it stops running age prediction on your account.

Parental controls

OpenAI launched parental controls on September 29, 2025. A parent and teen link accounts by invitation. OpenAI says it consulted policymakers, including the attorneys general of California and Delaware, in designing them.

• Parents can manage settings such as reduced sensitive content, memory, voice mode, image generation, quiet hours and whether the teen's chats are used for model training.
• Parents can be notified of serious self-harm concerns, possible disordered eating, or a teen account deactivated for violence-related conversations.
• Parents cannot read their teen's conversations, and notifications do not include chat transcripts.

Where adult mode stands

On October 14, 2025, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted on X that in December 2025, as age-gating rolled out more fully, ChatGPT would allow more for adults, such as erotica for verified adults. The next day he called erotica one example of more freedom for adults, said OpenAI was not loosening any mental health policies, and said it would prioritize safety over privacy and freedom for teens. Neither post uses the term adult mode.

As of October 21, 2026, we found no OpenAI page or help article that says adult mode has launched.

The laws and lawsuits behind age checks

No law names ChatGPT, and no official page says whether it counts as a companion chatbot under California's laws. These rules and actions bear on how chatbot companies handle age:

• California SB 1119: from January 1, 2027, companion chatbot operators in California must determine users' ages under the state's Digital Age Assurance Act or apply child protections to all users. OpenAI publicly supported the bill on August 31, 2026 and urged the governor to sign it.
• The federal GUARD Act (S. 3062) would require age verification for AI companions and bar minors from them. It is pending in the Senate and is not law.
• The FTC ordered seven companies, including OpenAI, to report on how their chatbots affect children and teens (September 11, 2025). It is a study, not an enforcement case.
• 44 state attorneys general wrote to 13 AI companies, including OpenAI, about sexualized interactions with children (August 25, 2025).
• Florida sued OpenAI and Sam Altman on June 1, 2026. On October 14, 2026, Montana announced its own suit and said seven other states had also sued OpenAI in their own courts. Montana alleges ChatGPT does not verify users' ages. These are allegations, not findings.