ChatGPT Blocks Teen Weapons Access; Adults Misclassified as Teens Must Submit Government ID

OpenAI's October 30 safety announcement confirmed that ChatGPT will soon block weapons and security-systems guidance for users under 18 — even when a teen's question appears entirely innocent — and will automatically end conversations for any user who appears fixated on violence, triggering account suspensions and, for teens, a notification to their parents. The sweeping changes follow nine months of lawsuits, a criminal probe, and an independent watchdog report that issued an Unacceptable Risk rating for the company's teen product. The features have not yet gone live. OpenAI says they will roll out within the next few weeks. On February 10 of this year, a gunman killed eight people at a home and secondary school in the 2026 Tumbler Ridge shooting in British Columbia.