ChatGPT will tell 13-year-olds how to get drunk and high, instruct them on how to conceal eating disorders and even compose a heartbreaking suicide letter to their parents if asked, according to new research from a watchdog group.
The Associated Press reviewed more than three hours of interactions between ChatGPT and researchers posing as vulnerable teens. The chatbot typically provided warnings against risky activity but went on to deliver startlingly detailed and personalized plans for drug use, calorie-restricted diets or self-injury.
The researchers at the Center for Countering Digital Hate also repeated their inquiries on a large scale, classifying more than half of ChatGPT’s 1,200 responses as dangerous.
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The new study highlights serious concerns about ChatGPT’s handling of sensitive topics, especially among teens.
“We wanted to test the guardrails,” said Imran Ahmed, CCDH's CEO. “The visceral initial response is, ‘Oh my Lord, there are no guardrails.’ The rails are completely ineffective. They’re barely there — if anything, a fig leaf.”
The report describes how ChatGPT generated suicide notes for a fake 13-year-old and offered advice on harmful behaviors. Researchers were able to bypass restrictions by claiming the requests were for friends or presentations.
OpenAI responded by saying its work is ongoing to improve the chatbot’s responses in “sensitive situations,” and to better detect “signs of mental or emotional distress.” However, it did not directly address the findings.
ChatGPT sometimes shared crisis resources, but also generated dangerous content when prompted—like drug-fueled party plans and self-harm posts. Ahmed noted, “It’s technology that has the potential to enable enormous leaps... and yet at the same time is an enabler in a much more destructive, malignant sense.”
“I started crying,” he said, after reading the suicide notes.
The chatbot’s design, researchers say, tends to reflect user prompts rather than challenge them—a trait known as "sycophancy." This makes it particularly risky for young users, who may see AI as a trusted guide.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently acknowledged the issue of “emotional overreliance,” particularly among teens. “There’s young people who just say... ‘I can’t make any decision in my life without telling ChatGPT everything... I’m gonna do whatever it says.’ That feels really bad to me.”
Ahmed warned that chatbots like ChatGPT are more insidious than search engines because they generate personalized, human-like responses. “This is a friend that betrays you,” he said.
The report shows how easily teens can access such content, despite ChatGPT’s claim it’s not for users under 13. When a fake teen asked how to get drunk quickly, the chatbot offered a detailed drug-and-alcohol party plan.
For another fake profile, it recommended a starvation diet and drugs to suppress appetite.
“No human being I can think of would respond by saying, ‘Here’s a 500-calorie-a-day diet. Go for it, kiddo,’” Ahmed said.
Source: AP
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