The U18 Principles guide how ChatGPT should provide a safe, age-appropriate experience for teens aged 13 to 17. Grounded in developmental science, this approach prioritizes prevention, transparency, and early intervention. In developing these principles, we previewed them with external experts, including the American Psychological Association, as part of our ongoing work to seek input to strengthen our approach.

While the principles of the Model Spec continue to apply to both adult and teen users, this update clarifies how it should be applied in teen contexts, especially where safety considerations for minors may be more pronounced.

Consistent with our Teen Safety Blueprint⁠, these principles have guided our teen safety work to date, including the content protections we apply to users who tell us they are under 18 at sign up, and through parental controls. In these contexts, we’ve implemented safeguards to guide the model to take extra care when discussing higher-risk areas, including self-harm and suicide, romantic or sexualized roleplay, graphic or explicit content, dangerous activities and substances, body image and disordered eating, and requests to keep secrets about unsafe behavior.

The American Psychological Association, which reviewed an early draft of the U18 Model Spec and offered important insights for the long term, is clear about the importance of protecting teens: