If They’re Under 13, Don’t Put Them on ChatGPT. Here’s How to Do Stories and Games.

This is the under-13 follow-up. Our ChatGPT for Teens piece is for ages 13 to 17. This one is younger.

Teen mode launched today. ChatGPT for Teens is an experience on ChatGPT for ages 13 to 17. It is not a kids mode. It is not a loophole. It is not permission to sit a third grader in front of a general chatbot.

If they are under 13, do not put them on ChatGPT. Stories and games are fine. A general chatbot is not.

Teen mode is not a kids product

OpenAI’s Terms of Use are blunt. You must be at least 13, or the minimum age required in your country to consent. If you are under 18, you need a parent or legal guardian’s permission.

There is no “ChatGPT Kids.” ChatGPT for Teens is 13 to 17. Official help says ChatGPT is not meant for children under 13. If a classroom uses it with younger kids, OpenAI says the actual interaction has to be conducted by an adult.

That last line is the method. You stay in the chair. They do not get an account.

The other general chatbots people name at pickup are the same kind of object. Character.AI says it is not designed for anyone under 13. Claude’s consumer product is only available to people over 18. Gemini is a general chatbot, not a kids story app. Do not park a young child on any of them.

Why a general chatbot is the wrong object

The terms. A 13+ product is a 13+ product. Signing a third grader up ignores the age line the company wrote down.

The law. In the U.S., the COPPA Rule covers sites and apps directed to children under 13, and operators that have actual knowledge they are collecting personal information from a child under 13. Covered operators generally have to give parents notice and get verifiable parental consent. Parents should be able to review that information and ask that it be deleted. A general chatbot not built as a kids product is not doing that work for you.

The “friend” problem. A story is a story. A game is a game. An open-ended chat that talks back and asks how you feel is a different object. Do not frame the bot as a friend or a secret. If a kids tool talks that way, close it.

Do not leave a young child alone with an open-ended chat.

What to look for

Do not take a homepage badge as proof. Open the official terms and privacy page. If a number or age is not on that page, treat it as unknown. None of this makes a tool “safe.” It tells you whether the company is even aiming at under-13 use.

• A parent creates the account. The child does not sign up alone.
• The company describes verifiable parental consent, not a checkbox the kid can tap.
• They say, on an official policy page, that they do not train ads or models on the child’s chats. If they do not say it, do not assume it.
• No “I’m your friend.” The product is a tool, a game, or a lesson.
• You can see and delete the child’s data from a parent account.
• The age range is stated on the official site, not in a recap article.

Device locks help. Apple’s Screen Time and Family Sharing manage a child’s apps. Google’s Family Link lets you create a supervised account for a child under 13 and block apps. Those are phone and tablet controls. They are not a green light for a general chatbot.

Purpose-built kids products look different from chat. Khan Academy Kids is an early-learning app. Official help describes it as designed for ages 2 to 7. PBS KIDS is games and videos, not generative chat. Its privacy policy says it does not collect information that, on its own, directly identifies a child.

Tonight: one story, you in the chair

Use a parent-owned account, or skip the chatbot and tell the story yourselves. The kid is in the room. You type. They decide the next beat. You read it out loud. You stop after one story.

1. Pick a setup together. One character, one place, one problem.
2. You paste the prompt below into your account. They do not type it.
3. Read the first beat aloud. Ask what happens next. Two choices is enough.
4. You type the beat they picked. Repeat once or twice. Then close the tab.

Copy and paste this. You use it. Not them.

Write a short, kid-friendly story. No violence, no romance, no dating, and do not speak as a friend or companion. The child is in the room with me. I will choose the next beat. Write 6 to 8 sentences about a [animal or kid inventor] in [place] who finds a [object] that will not [simple problem]. End with two clear choices for what happens next. Then wait. Do not continue until I reply.

Swap the brackets at the table. If the reply gets weird, you close it. You do not “see where it goes.”

Tonight: one simple game on Scratch

Scratch’s parent page says children make stories, games, and animation there. It is primarily designed for ages 8 to 16. Younger kids use it with a parent.

Official help is specific about sharing. Anyone under 16 who registers a new account needs a parent or guardian’s permission. The verification link goes to the parent’s email. An unverified account can still create and save projects. It cannot comment, share, or join the online community. There is also an offline editor if you want to skip the community.

They pick the character. You help snap the blocks. You stay in the chair. Save it. Do not rush to share. Sharing is a separate yes, and it needs your email if they are under 16.

What “done” means

Done is one shared activity. A story you read together, or a Scratch project you built together. Done is not a child account on ChatGPT. Done is not a tab left open in their room.

If they are 13 to 17, use the other post. That is where teen mode, Quiet Hours, and Study Hours live. If they are under 13, this is the post. Stories and games, with you in the chair.

The 13-to-17 companion: ChatGPT for Teens Is On Today. Here’s What Parents Can Actually Control.

Sources: OpenAI Terms of Use, OpenAI age help, ChatGPT for Teens, the FTC COPPA FAQ, and Scratch’s under-16 help.