OpenAI published early figures on how teenagers use ChatGPT for Teens on October 7. It says teens spend under 15 minutes a day on average, and fewer than 2% spend more than three hours in a row. It also announced a College Planner. Child-safety groups say the numbers need independent checks.
New to this? Read it in simple words
- OpenAI says teens spend under 15 minutes a day on ChatGPT, on average.
- It says fewer than 2% use it for more than three hours in a row.
- These are OpenAI’s own figures; no outside group has checked them.
- Critics say the heaviest users matter more than the average.
- ChatGPT for Teens
- The version of ChatGPT that OpenAI applies to accounts it identifies as under 18.
- Average
- The total divided by the number of users. A few very heavy users can hide behind it.
- Study Mode
- A ChatGPT setting that guides students step by step.
What OpenAI reports
On average, teens spend under 15 minutes a day on ChatGPT, OpenAI says. Fewer than 2% of teens spend more than three hours in a row on it.
The teen version shows reminders to take a break. In almost half of the teen conversations with such a reminder, the teen took a break or ended the chat within five minutes, OpenAI says.
OpenAI also says nearly 1.2 million teens used its Learning Visualizations in one week, and more than 180,000 used Study Mode. It did not publish how many teens use ChatGPT, or how it measured the average.
From OpenAI’s report on ChatGPT for Teens; every usage figure is OpenAI’s own.
New tools for students
OpenAI will soon add a College Planner for US high-school students in grades 10 to 12. It brings together the deadlines, tasks and financial aid steps for each college on a student’s list.
Students can also turn photos of their notes into flashcards and quizzes. OpenAI says it will support a teen advisory group at the Digital Wellness Lab of Boston Children’s Hospital for three years.
What critics say
On the same day, Common Sense Media rated ChatGPT for Teens an “unacceptable risk” for everyone under 18. In its tests, break reminders appeared only twice in nearly 2,000 prompts, TechCrunch reports. OpenAI says the testing does not reflect how its safeguards work.
A spokesperson for Common Sense’s Youth AI Safety Institute told the New York Post that the average is not the key number. Harm is concentrated among the heaviest users, the spokesperson said.
Sebastian Mahal of the youth group Design It For Us said OpenAI’s claims need independent checks. OpenAI told the New York Post that it is working with outside researchers on a fuller report in the coming months.
Sources
Every fact in this story comes from the sources below. Open them to check our work.
- 1
- 2Research · October 7, 2026OpenAI says teens use ChatGPT for under 15 minutes a day as worries over risks grow Reuters via Investing.com
- 3Research · October 7, 2026Watchdogs slam OpenAI’s claim that teens use ChatGPT less than 15 minutes per day New York Post via Yahoo News
- 4Research · October 7, 2026ChatGPT for Teens keeps teens talking, even during mental health crises TechCrunch
All usage figures are OpenAI’s own, and no outside researchers have checked them. OpenAI did not publish its method or how many teens it counted.
OpenAI’s own figures show light teen use, but critics call the product an “unacceptable risk” and no outside group has checked the numbers. How we rate the mood