OpenAI first announced plans to launch an automated age prediction system for ChatGPT in September last year, designed to help the AI chatbot differentiate between teenagers and adults. After testing it in select countries over the past few months, the company has now started rolling it out to ChatGPT consumer plans.
The system is designed to identify users under 18 and automatically redirect them to a more age-appropriate ChatGPT experience. According to OpenAI, the age prediction model looks at “a combination of behavioral and account level signals, including how long an account has existed, typical times of day someone is active, usage patterns over time, and a user’s reported age” to estimate whether someone is underage.
If the system detects that an account may belong to a younger user, ChatGPT automatically applies additional security measures to limit exposure to sensitive content. OpenAI notes that this age-appropriate experience limits access to graphic or violent content, risqué viral challenges, sexual or romantic role-playing, depictions of self-harm, and content that promotes extreme beauty ideals, unhealthy diets, or body shaming.
Mislabeled adults can prove their age and have full access restored
OpenAI recognizes that the system is not perfect and may misclassify adults. The company plans to continue refining the model to improve accuracy over time. Users incorrectly identified as teenagers will have the opportunity to verify their age and regain full access through the Persona identity verification service. To see if access to their account is restricted, users can navigate to Settings > Account.
In addition to providing younger users with a more age-appropriate ChatGPT experience, the age prediction model also allows OpenAI to introduce new features for older users, including the previously touted Adult Mode. Adult Mode was originally scheduled to launch late last year, but was pushed back to the first quarter of 2026 while OpenAI refined its age prediction model. With the system now live, the company could announce the feature soon.
