# ChatGPT's Teen Mode could deprive teenagers of a fundamental need

> Original title: ChatGPT’s Teen Mode could deprive teenagers of a fundamental need | Robin Kirman

- Source: The Guardian · AI
- Published: 2026-11-10T11:00:50.000Z
- Bad Influence: https://badinfluence.news/items/g0gbim3qha1hep9g4qo68a3nf
- Original: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/nov/10/chatgpt-teen-mode-cognitive-skills

## Summary

Robin Kirman, a psychoanalyst who works with young people, argues that OpenAI's Teen Mode for ChatGPT could impair teenagers' development of an independent sense of self. The feature, launched in August and automatically enabled for users under 18, adds guardrails, parent notifications, and a Study Mode that uses Socratic questioning instead of giving answers. Kirman says that by always guiding the student, the tool risks sparing teenagers the struggle that builds their own judgment.