OpenAI partners with APA to protect youth mental health

OpenAI is collaborating with the American Psychological Association (APA) to incorporate psychological science into the development of its artificial intelligence technologies. The partnership aims to address how young people interact with AI, establishing evidence-based safeguards and resources for families, educators, and clinicians. By combining clinical expertise with technology design, the initiative seeks to ensure AI tools support rather than replace real-world relationships.

The collaboration will focus on creating practical tools for parents and caregivers to manage AI use at home, helping them identify when adult intervention is necessary. Additionally, OpenAI and the APA plan to produce resources for school psychologists and clinicians to help them identify signs of overreliance or unhealthy usage patterns. This follows a joint convening earlier this year that gathered mental health advocates, educators, and youth representatives to identify gaps in current support systems.

This initiative builds on OpenAI's existing safety measures for ChatGPT. The company currently collaborates with more than 260 mental health experts to train ChatGPT to recognize distress signals and direct users to localized crisis resources or one-click hotlines. OpenAI has also implemented safety features such as break reminders, parental controls, an age-prediction model, and specific under-18 principles within its Model Spec.

For AI developers and mental health practitioners, this partnership represents a shift toward multidisciplinary safety standards. Developers gain access to empirical behavioral science to guide algorithmic guardrails, while clinicians receive structured guidance to navigate the growing influence of AI in youth therapy and education.