ChatGPT’s Teen Mode could deprive teenagers of a fundamental need | Robin Kirman

OpenAI’s Teen Mode, which automatically enrols users under 18, adds safeguards and a tutoring feature, but psychoanalyst Robin Kirman argues that its tireless patience may also deprive teenagers of a necessary part of growing up. The concern is that relying on an always available, highly responsive AI could limit young people’s chances to develop confidence in their own thinking and sense of self.

The mode includes guardrails against harmful content, parent notifications about self-harm concerns and rules against the chatbot presenting itself as a friend. Its Study Mode is designed to guide students through problems instead of giving them answers, addressing research suggesting that AI-completed schoolwork can boost grades briefly but leave students worse off once the tool is removed. Drawing on psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott’s idea of the “good-enough” parent, Kirman argues that ordinary limits and frustrations help children build independence.