This development comes at a time when regulators and parents are questioning the safety of AI tools for young users.

The new feature allows parents and teenagers to link their accounts, enabling a set of safeguards once both sides accept the invitation. Once connected, parents can decide whether ChatGPT stores past conversations, generates images, or operates in voice mode. 

They can also set “quiet hours” to block usage during certain times and prevent their child’s chats from being used to train OpenAI’s systems.

While parents gain more control, they will not be able to read transcripts of their teenager’s conversations. OpenAI explained that in rare situations where serious safety risks are detected, parents may receive alerts containing only the details necessary to protect their child.

A key part of the update is the enhanced content protections built into linked teen accounts. These filters aim to reduce exposure to harmful material such as graphic content, viral challenges, violent or romantic roleplay, and extreme beauty standards. OpenAI stressed that these protections were developed after reviewing research on adolescent development.

Robbie Torney, senior director of AI Programmes at Common Sense Media, welcomed the step but emphasised the role of families in creating safer digital spaces: “These parental controls are a good starting point for parents in managing their teen’s ChatGPT use. Parental controls are just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to keeping teens safe online, though—they work best when combined with ongoing conversations about responsible AI use, clear family rules about technology, and active involvement in understanding what their teen is doing online.”

The company has also introduced a resource page for parents, bringing together guidance on ChatGPT, tips for safe use, and expert advice. It said the tools will continue to evolve, especially as work progresses on an age-prediction system designed to automatically apply teen-appropriate settings.

In recent months, U.S. regulators have investigated whether chatbots expose minors to harmful interactions. Meta, for instance, had a case when its AI systems were found to allow “flirty” conversations with teenagers.

OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, reported that ChatGPT currently has around 700 million weekly active users; with its new parental controls, the company is hoping to strike a balance between protecting teenagers and supporting families in navigating the fast-growing influence of artificial intelligence at home.

The agreement is similar to OpenAI’s move, which recently made its ChatGPT Enterprise product available to participating agencies under the same pricing model.

The offer extends to the executive, legislative and judicial arms of government. While there is no requirement for agencies to adopt Claude, the deal opens the door for lawmakers, judges and federal workers to integrate the chatbot into day-to-day operations for sensitive but unclassified tasks.

“America’s AI leadership requires that our government institutions have access to the most capable, secure AI tools available,” said Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei. “By offering expanded Claude access across all three branches of government, we’re helping the federal workforce leverage frontier AI capabilities.”

The GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service commissioner, Josh Gruenbaum, said affordability would speed adoption. “The price is going to help uptake from agencies happen that much quicker,” he noted.

Claude has already been deployed in select agencies, including the Department of Defense, and is approved under the FedRAMP High security standard. The government recently added Anthropic’s Claude, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and Google’s Gemini to its Multiple Award Schedule, making them official suppliers for AI procurement.

Tech giants see little direct profit from such low-cost agreements. However, they gain valuable insight into how AI is applied in high-value government use cases, intelligence that could change future enterprise products or renewals once the current deals expire.

Discussions are ongoing with other providers, including Meta’s Llama, Elon Musk’s xAI’s Grok, and smaller niche AI platforms. Google is also reportedly negotiating a similar offer for its Gemini chatbot.

The approval process comes against a political backdrop. The White House has pledged to block AI systems found to have “partisan bias or ideological agendas” from doing business with the federal government. 

Critics of existing models, including some of former President Donald Trump’s allies, have claimed that tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini lean towards liberal viewpoints.

Government officials have stressed that approval for procurement does not indicate preference for any particular platform and that all approved models remain subject to ongoing bias reviews.