Technologies

ChatGPT’s New Parental Controls Will Issue Alerts About Kids’ Safety Risks

Parents can adjust settings to limit their children’s activities, but they won’t have access to their conversations with ChatGPT.

OpenAI is giving parents more control over how their kids use ChatGPT. New parental controls come at a critical moment, as many families, schools and advocacy groups voice their concerns about the potentially dangerous role AI chatbots can play in the development of teenagers and children.

Parents will have to link their own ChatGPT account with their child’s to access the new features. However, OpenAI said that these features do not give parents access to their child’s conversations with ChatGPT and that, in cases where the company identifies «serious safety risks,» a parent will be alerted «only with the information needed to support their teen’s safety.»

It’s a «first-of-its-kind safety notification system to alert parents if their teen may be at risk of self-harm,» said Lauren Haber Jonas, OpenAI’s head of youth well-being, in a LinkedIn post.

Once the accounts are linked, parents can set quiet hours and times when the kids won’t be able to use ChatGPT, as well as turn off image generation and voice mode capabilities. On the technical side, parents can also opt their kids out of content training and choose to have ChatGPT not save or remember their kids’ previous chats. Parents can also elect to reduce sensitive content, which enables additional content restrictions around things like graphic content. Teens can unlink their account from a parent’s, but the parent will be notified if that occurs.

ChatGPT’s parent company announced last month it would be introducing more parental controls in the wake of a lawsuit a California family filed against it. The family is alleging the AI chatbot is responsible for their 16-year-old son’s suicide earlier this year, calling ChatGPT his «suicide coach.» A rising number of AI users have their AI chatbots take on the role of a therapist or confidant. Therapists and mental health experts have expressed concerns over this, saying AI like ChatGPT isn’t trained to accurately assess, flag and intervene when encountering red flag language and behaviors.

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

If you feel like you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911 (or your country’s local emergency line) or go to an emergency room to get immediate help. Explain that it is a psychiatric emergency and ask for someone who is trained for these kinds of situations. If you’re struggling with negative thoughts or suicidal feelings, resources are available to help. In the US, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

Technologies

iPhone 17 Preorders Spike and Overall Phone Sales Aren’t Slowing Down Despite Tariffs

Global smartphone shipments saw a notable increase in the third quarter of 2025. Plus, preorders for Apple’s new iPhone 17 beat out the iPhone 16.

Despite tariffs and market uncertainty, global smartphone shipments increased 2.6% in the third quarter of 2025, compared to the same time last year, according to the International Data Corporation. Additionally, preorders for the iPhone 17, which launched last month, outpaced last year’s iPhone 16.

These increased sales include premium phones like the latest iPhones and Samsung foldables, suggesting yet again that pricier phones still sell in periods of economic strain. It’s a remarkable achievement, says IDC senior research director Nabila Popal, citing shrewd financing options as the reason people keep buying these high-end phones, which cost anywhere from $800 to nearly $2,000.

«[Phone makers] have mastered the art of innovation not only in hardware and software to entice upgrades but also in removing purchase friction. They have flawlessly combined cutting-edge devices with innovative financing models and aggressive trade-in programs that make the upgrading decision a ‘no-brainer’ for consumers,» Popal said in an IDC press release.

Apple sold 58.6 million iPhones this quarter, an increase of 2.9% over the same period in 2024, with more preorders for the iPhone 17 series than its predecessor. But Samsung wasn’t far behind, with its Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 selling better than all of the company’s prior foldables. The company still reigns atop the phone market with 61.4 million phones sold, representing 19% of the market in the third quarter of this year — an increase of 6.3% from the same period last year. Meanwhile, Apple lands slightly behind Samsung with 18.2% market share this quarter.

The other phone makers trailing Apple and Samsung are, in order: Xiaomi, with 13.5% of the market; Transsion, with 9%; and Vivo with 8.9%. The remaining companies in the phones industry, from Chinese stalwarts like Oppo and Honor to Motorola and Google, make up the remaining 31.4% of the market for the quarter. All told, 322.7 million phones were sold, up from 314.6 million in the third quarter of 2024, according to IDC.

IDC’s findings for the third quarter continue the small but steady growth of phone sales over the year, including a modest 1% increase in the preceding three months — which includes the April deadline when President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs. In the second quarter, IDC cited midrange devices like Samsung’s Galaxy A36 and other phones that started incorporating AI. But even persistent tariffs haven’t slowed down people’s appetites for pricier phones in the third quarter.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Oct. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 14.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s Mini Crossword has an odd vertical shape, with an extra Across clue, and only four Down clues. The clues are not terribly difficult, but one or two could be tricky. Read on if you need the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.