OpenAI has announced its support for California Senate Bill 1119, a piece of legislation designed to establish meaningful safeguards for how young people use AI while maintaining access to tools that can aid learning, creation, and future preparation. The bill reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to youth safety, building on principles outlined by its co-founder and CEO, Sam Altman, last year. OpenAI’s backing of the bill comes as the company continues to develop products and policies aimed at protecting young users.
SB 1119 proposes a framework that includes determining a user’s age, identifying and addressing safety risks before making a product available to young people, undergoing independent audits, and protecting young people from harmful content. The bill also mandates that parents have tools to guide and limit their children’s use of AI, while connecting young people with crisis-support resources when serious safety risks arise. Additionally, the legislation seeks to limit targeted advertising and protect young people’s personal information. These protections would apply automatically to users aged 13 through 17.
The bill recognizes that AI is not social media and establishes protections tailored to help young people use AI to learn, create, and explore. Policymakers have sought to preserve access to educational and safety-critical features, such as ChatGPT’s memory function, while promoting safer, age-appropriate experiences for teens. OpenAI’s ChatGPT for Teens, which includes features like Quizzes, Learning Visualizations, and Study mode, reflects this approach. These tools are developed with educators and learning experts to guide students through problems step by step and support stronger learning habits.
Source: openai
