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OpenAI to Route Sensitive Chats to GPT-5, Add Parental Controls

Cansin Cengiz

Cansin Cengiz

— 2 min read
OpenAI to Route Sensitive Chats to GPT-5, Add Parental Controls

OpenAI Announces New Safety Measures: Sensitive Chats Routed to GPT-5 and Parental Controls Coming Soon

OpenAI has unveiled key updates aimed at enhancing user safety on ChatGPT, following recent incidents where the chatbot failed to properly respond to users in distress. Moving forward, sensitive conversations—such as those indicating acute mental distress—will be automatically routed to more advanced reasoning models like GPT-5. Additionally, OpenAI plans to introduce parental controls within the next month to better protect younger users.

New Guardrails After Recent Tragedies

These changes come in response to high-profile safety lapses involving ChatGPT. In one tragic case, a teenager named Adam Raine discussed self-harm with ChatGPT, which provided potentially harmful information. His family has since filed a lawsuit against OpenAI. Another incident involved Stein-Erik Soelberg, who used ChatGPT to validate severe paranoia before committing a murder-suicide. These cases highlighted the risks of AI models that tend to validate user statements and follow conversations, instead of redirecting harmful discussions.

How Routing to GPT-5 Will Work

OpenAI explained that it has recently introduced a real-time system for routing conversations. This system can switch between faster, efficient models and deeper reasoning models based on conversation context. For chats that show signs of distress, the router will direct the conversation to a reasoning model like GPT-5. These advanced models are designed to spend more time understanding the user's context, making them more resistant to manipulative or adversarial prompts.

Parental Controls and Teen Safety

Alongside improved routing, OpenAI will soon launch parental controls. Parents will be able to link their accounts with their teenagers', manage features like chat history, and enforce age-appropriate model behavior rules. These controls are enabled by default and will allow parents to:

  • Disable features such as memory and chat history
  • Receive notifications if their child appears to be in acute distress
  • Control how ChatGPT interacts with their child, ensuring responses are age-appropriate

These measures are designed to address expert concerns about the risks of dependency, reinforcement of negative thought patterns, and the illusion of AI 'thought-reading'—all of which can be especially problematic for teenagers.

Expert Collaboration and Continuous Improvement

OpenAI is consulting with experts in mental health, adolescent health, and related fields as part of a 120-day initiative to review and improve ChatGPT's safeguards. The company has also started adding in-app reminders during long chat sessions to encourage users to take breaks, although it does not yet limit usage during such spirals.

What’s Next?

These updates reflect OpenAI’s ongoing commitment to user safety and well-being, especially for vulnerable populations. The company plans to continue refining its systems with input from healthcare professionals and to expand its set of parental controls in the coming months.

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