What age can kids use ChatGPT?
OpenAI's terms say ChatGPT users must be at least 13 (or older where local law requires), and anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian's permission. There is no version of ChatGPT made for children under 13. For younger kids, choose a service built and rated for children, with a parent involved.
The ChatGPT age limit is 13. OpenAI's Terms of Use require users to be at least 13, or the higher minimum age for digital consent in their country, and say that users under 18 need permission from a parent or legal guardian. So a 10-year-old should not have their own ChatGPT account, and a 14-year-old can use it only with your say-so.
Why the line is 13
In the US, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires services to get verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information from children under 13 (see the FTC's COPPA FAQ). General-purpose chatbots are built for adults and older teens, so most set 13 as the floor rather than build for younger children. In the UK, the ICO's Children's code also expects services likely to be used by under-18s to design for them.
The age limit is about legal consent and product design, not a judgement that a 13th birthday makes a child ready. Many 13-year-olds still need close support.
How ChatGPT checks age
Sign-up relies mostly on the age a user types in. In January 2026 OpenAI began rolling out age prediction, which estimates whether an account probably belongs to someone under 18 and, if so, applies teen protections such as limits on graphic violence, sexual role play and risky viral challenges.
That helps, but it is not a gate that keeps younger children out. In a 2025 Internet Matters survey of 1,000 UK children, 58% of 9 to 12-year-olds said they had used AI chatbots, even though most of these services set a minimum age of 13.
A practical age guide
| Age | A sensible approach |
|---|---|
| Under 13 | No personal ChatGPT account. Use a children's AI service with parental controls, ideally with you nearby. |
| 13-15 | ChatGPT with your permission, a linked parent account, and agreed rules on homework and personal information. |
| 16-17 | More independence, still with your permission, plus regular check-ins about what they use it for. |
For teens, link your account and set the controls together. The steps are in how to set up ChatGPT parental controls.
If your younger child is already using it
Stay calm. Most children find ChatGPT through friends, siblings or school, not because they are being sneaky.
- Ask what they use it for: homework, stories, jokes, questions they feel shy asking.
- Explain the rule simply: "This one is made for teenagers and grown-ups, so it isn't built to keep you safe."
- Offer something that meets the same need, so the rule doesn't just feel like a loss.
- Agree what personal details never go into any chatbot (see what kids should never tell an AI).
What to use instead for under-13s
Look for a service designed for children's ages, with filtering built for kids, parent visibility and no advertising. Askie is one option: a voice-first AI companion for ages 4-15 that adapts its answers to each child's age, lets parents review conversation transcripts, and protects settings with a parent-only PIN. Our guide to the best ChatGPT alternatives for kids compares several options, and is ChatGPT safe for kids? covers the safety side in more depth.
A safe AI your child can talk to
Askie is a voice-first AI companion built for children, with answers adapted to your child's age and parental controls you set.