OpenAI has acknowledged that the time spent in ChatGPT has declined slightly following the implementation of content restrictions in August, according to a report by The Information. These changes included parental controls and measures to make it harder for teenagers to discuss suicide or access adult content within the chatbot.
OpenAI plans to introduce age verification software for ChatGPT. Once verified, users will be able to discuss a wider range of topics, including adult content such as writing erotica. Before the content restrictions, some adult users had reportedly developed romantic interactions with the AI, even knowing it was not a real person.
The Information’s report confirms comments from CEO Sam Altman, who mentioned last month that age verification features are expected to arrive in December, though details on the verification process remain unclear. It may be voluntary rather than automated, but OpenAI has not clarified this. Other companies, like Google, have implemented similar age verification systems across YouTube and Google accounts to protect minors.
The report suggests that expanding content access could help retain users and support growth. As of July, around 35 million people had subscribed to ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) or Pro ($200/month), representing 5% of the user base. OpenAI aims to increase this to 8.6% by 2030, expecting 220 million paid users out of an estimated 2.6 billion weekly active users.
Even without premium subscriptions, ChatGPT offers extensive functionality. Free users can access the latest models, perform web searches, generate images, and create custom chatbots. Premium subscribers benefit from higher usage limits, access to more models, and advanced features. Despite current restrictions, ChatGPT remains a powerful tool for research, coding, work tasks, and more.
OpenAI has not shared full details of the age verification rollout, but the December estimate may coincide with the company’s planned Christmas announcements. Last year, OpenAI hosted a “12 Days of OpenAI” event, revealing new AI features daily in the lead-up to Christmas, and a similar multi-day event could take place this year.