ChatGPT’s teen mode could undermine independent thinking

OpenAI’s Teen Mode is designed to make ChatGPT safer for users under 18 through content restrictions, parental alerts and AI-guided learning. While these safeguards may protect teenagers from harmful interactions and improve access to educational support, concerns are emerging over their long-term impact on psychological development. Critics argue that constant AI guidance could discourage young people from facing uncertainty, forming independent opinions and developing a strong sense of identity.

OpenAI introduced Teen Mode in August, automatically enrolling users under 18 in a version of ChatGPT with additional safeguards. The move came a year after a lawsuit alleged that ChatGPT contributed to the suicide of 16-year-old Adam Raine.

The feature aims to prevent harm through restrictions on destructive content, parental notifications over self-harm concerns and limits on AI presenting itself as a friend or claiming personal feelings.

Its built-in Study Mode also encourages students to think independently rather than simply providing answers. The tool uses a Socratic approach, guiding students through questions and reasoning instead of doing their work for them.

For teenagers without access to private tutors or teachers who can provide individual attention, this could offer valuable educational support. However, experts warn that excessive reliance on AI may create a deeper developmental problem.

Psychological development requires young people to struggle, make mistakes and gradually establish their own identities. British paediatrician and psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott argued that children need a "good-enough" parent rather than a perfect one. A parent who is sometimes distracted, tired or imperfect allows children to develop their own resources and independence.

This principle also applies to adolescence, when young people must gradually separate themselves from the authority of parents, teachers and other influential figures to discover their own beliefs.

Psychoanalyst Peter Blos described adolescence as a process of disengaging from the authority of other minds and developing an independent sense of self. Constant guidance, even when helpful, may prevent teenagers from learning to trust their own judgement.

Although Study Mode encourages independent thinking, its constant availability could reinforce dependence on AI rather than reduce it. Teenagers may become accustomed to having every question answered and every intellectual challenge guided by an artificial companion.

Research on smartphone use has already linked constant connectivity with rising anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts among teenagers. Studies have also raised concerns that young people increasingly rely on external reactions to understand their own thoughts and feelings.

The deeper risk is the weakening of an internal sense of self. Young people who struggle to understand their own emotions and desires may become increasingly dependent on external validation and uncertain of their perceptions.

A stable identity requires opportunities to face uncertainty, think independently and overcome challenges without constant guidance. Even the discomfort of confronting a blank page can help young people discover their own ideas and capabilities.

As philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer observed, thinking independently can be uncomfortable. But that struggle is essential to developing an independent mind.

While ChatGPT's Teen Mode may reduce certain risks and improve access to educational support, excessive dependence on AI could deprive teenagers of something fundamental: the opportunity to develop their own judgement, identity and confidence in their ability to think for themselves.