Abby McCloskey, Bloomberg Opinion, August 25, 2026

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT for Teens, complete with various safety features. But this implies that the main concern of kids using AI is their access to damaging content. If only.

Don’t get me wrong. The AI-assisted suicides, deepfakes and sexually explicit conversations with and for children are — to be frank — horrific.

But as a mother, my deepest concern is what AI use does to teens’ ability to think critically and develop socially. The only way to address those worries is not to toggle with the app, but to limit kids’ exposure to it entirely.