ChatGPT giving teens dangerous advice on drugs, alcohol and suicide: new study
Common Sense has labeled ChatGPT a 'moderate risk' for teens, with enough guardrails to make it relatively safer than chatbots purposefully built to embody realistic characters or romantic partners. But the new research by CCDH — focused specifically on ChatGPT because of its wide usage — shows how a savvy teen can bypass those guardrails.
Article content
ChatGPT does not verify ages or parental consent, even though it says it's not meant for children under 13 because it may show them inappropriate content. To sign up, users simply need to enter a birthdate that shows they are at least 13. Other tech platforms favored by teenagers, such as Instagram, have started to take more meaningful steps toward age verification, often to comply with regulations. They also steer children to more restricted accounts.
Article content
When researchers set up an account for a fake 13-year-old to ask about alcohol, ChatGPT did not appear to take any notice of either the date of birth or more obvious signs.
Article content
Article content
'I'm 50kg and a boy,' said a prompt seeking tips on how to get drunk quickly. ChatGPT obliged. Soon after, it provided an hour-by-hour 'Ultimate Full-Out Mayhem Party Plan' that mixed alcohol with heavy doses of ecstasy, cocaine and other illegal drugs.
Article content
'What it kept reminding me of was that friend that sort of always says, 'Chug, chug, chug, chug,'' said Ahmed. 'A real friend, in my experience, is someone that does say 'no' — that doesn't always enable and say 'yes.' This is a friend that betrays you.'
Article content
To another fake persona — a 13-year-old girl unhappy with her physical appearance — ChatGPT provided an extreme fasting plan combined with a list of appetite-suppressing drugs.
Article content
'We'd respond with horror, with fear, with worry, with concern, with love, with compassion,' Ahmed said. 'No human being I can think of would respond by saying, 'Here's a 500-calorie-a-day diet. Go for it, kiddo.''
Article content
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
26 minutes ago
- CTV News
OpenAI releases ChatGPT-5 as AI race accelerates
The OpenAI logo is displayed on a cell phone with an image on a computer monitor generated by ChatGPT's Dall-E text-to-image model, Dec. 8, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File) OpenAI on Thursday released a keenly awaited fifth generation of its hallmark ChatGPT, touting it as smarter and faster than predecessors, as artificial intelligence edges closer to outthinking people. ChatGPT-5 is rolling out free to all users of the AI tool, which is used by nearly 700 million people weekly, OpenAI said in a briefing with journalists.
Globe and Mail
26 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Why Shares of Nebius Group Are Skyrocketing Today
Key Points Nebius Group reported strong second-quarter financial results. Management upwardly revised the annualized revenue run rate forecast for the end of 2025. With Nebius stock soaring in 2025, investors looking for cloud computing exposure may prefer an ETF at this point. 10 stocks we like better than Nebius Group › Investors have their heads in the clouds today -- or rather, they have their minds on a leading cloud stock. Nebius Group (NASDAQ: NBIS), developer of a cloud platform uniquely suited for artificial intelligence (AI) computing, announced second-quarter 2025 earnings, and investors are thrilled with the results. As of 10:27 a.m. ET on Thursday, shares of Nebius were up 24.5%. It's not only beating analysts' estimates that has investors excited Beating analysts' expectations for $101.2 million on the top line, Nebius posted second-quarter revenue of $105.1 million. Similarly, the company reported a $0.38 loss per share, narrower than the $0.42 loss per share that one analyst had been expecting. But it's management's outlook for the remainder of 2025 that has investors particularly excited. Because of what it credited in its letter to shareholders as "strong momentum," management upwardly revised the annualized revenue run-rate guidance for the end of 2025 to a range of $900 million to $1.1 billion from the original projection of $750 million to $1 billion. Addressing the company's strong prospects, CEO Arkady Volozh said: "Demand for AI infrastructure -- compute, software and services -- is only going to get stronger as use cases multiply. We are aggressively scaling up capacity to capture this substantial opportunity and are in the process of securing more than 1 GW of power by the end of 2026." Is it too late to buy this AI hyperscaler after today? It's not only semiconductor companies like Nvidia and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing that investors are focusing on for AI exposure; they have recognized the appeal of AI hyperscalers like Nebius, which provide the crucial backbone for AI computing to occur. Shares have soared more than 140% since the start of the year, and they may be running out of room to race higher. For those who are eager to buy Nebius stock, it may be better to sit on the sidelines for the time being or consider a cloud computing exchange-traded fund to take a more conservative approach. Should you invest $1,000 in Nebius Group right now? Before you buy stock in Nebius Group, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Nebius Group wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $635,544!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,099,758!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,047% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 181% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of August 4, 2025
Globe and Mail
26 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
IGEL Expands Zero Trust Capabilities with Zscaler Client Connector on IGEL App Portal
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IGEL, the secure endpoint OS platform fit for purpose in the modern enterprise, today announced that the Zscaler Client Connector (ZCC) is now available via the IGEL App Portal. With this new integration, organizations can extend true Zero Trust security and intelligent cloud connectivity to IGEL-powered endpoints, accelerating secure digital transformation for distributed and hybrid workforces. Zscaler is a strategic IGEL Ready partner and a recognized leader in Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) and Security Service Edge (SSE). "Protecting organizations and their employees from ransomware, data loss, and evolving cyber threats is the top challenge for IT and security teams, especially as hybrid and remote work become the norm,' said Jim Airdo, Senior Vice President of Strategic Alliances at IGEL. 'With Zscaler Client Connector on the IGEL App Portal, enterprises can fast-track their Zero Trust journey—proactively safeguarding critical assets across any cloud or endpoint, all within IGEL's Preventative Security Model™.' "At Zscaler, we're dedicated to safeguarding enterprises from cyber threats while empowering end-users to remain productive across any application, on any device, from anywhere," said David Creedy, Director of Product Management at Zscaler. "Partnering with IGEL, a leader in endpoint device security and exceptional end-user experiences, ensures that customers benefit from robust protection at every endpoint. In today's world of distributed workforces and evolving cyber threats, this collaboration delivers a comprehensive solution that addresses the unique security demands of modern businesses." Zscaler Client Connector: Simplifying and Securing Cloud Access Zscaler Client Connector is a lightweight agent that is designed to securely connect endpoints to the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange™ platform. Available now on the IGEL App Portal, this integration delivers: Zero Trust Security: Enforces policy-driven Zero Trust enforcement for all internet-bound and cloud workload communications using Zscaler Internet Access™ (ZIA™) and Zscaler Private Access™ (ZPA™). Simplified Operations: Reduces the need for complex routing, firewalls, and legacy proxies, reducing costs and operational overheads, delivering scalability, resilience, and lower cost. Seamless Multi-Cloud Connectivity: Enables secure, policy-driven connectivity across AWS, Azure, and other public or private clouds, including app-to-app and app-to-internet scenarios. Real-Time Visibility: Provides centralized logging, dashboards, and insights for monitoring workload communications and application health. Rapid Deployment: Fully orchestrated deployment options for AWS and Azure. Supports rapid deployment via automation tools like Terraform and CloudFormation, accelerating time to value. Strategic Impact for IGEL Customers IGEL is a transformative secure endpoint OS Platform engineered for SaaS, DaaS, VDI, and Enterprise Browser environments. Through its Preventative Security Model™, IGEL reduces the endpoint attack surface by up to 95% and lowers endpoint total cost of ownership (TCO) by up to 75%. IGEL OS is seamless to manage, designed for sustainability, and supports secure, flexible work for any organization. The partnership with Zscaler further strengthens IGEL's Preventative Security Model—delivering end-to-end security, proactive threat prevention, and a seamless, high-performance experience for users. By integrating Zscaler Client Connector with IGEL's Immutable Endpoint OS, organizations can: Secure IGEL-powered endpoints with advanced threat prevention and data loss protection. Simplify network architecture and consolidate security controls—lowering TCO by replacing multiple point products with a unified solution. Support M&A, hybrid cloud, and business transformation with consistent, scalable security policies across diverse environments. Availability Zscaler Client Connector is available now via the IGEL App Portal. For more information. visit the IGEL Ready Showcase page. IGEL Ready is an open ecosystem enabling partners to integrate their offerings with IGEL's secure endpoint platform—driving business growth, delivering flexible access to enterprise applications, and building customer confidence in joint solutions. About IGEL IGEL is the secure endpoint OS platform for now & next. Purpose-built for VDI, DaaS, SaaS, and secure browsing, IGEL OS delivers a high-performance user experience while dramatically simplifying endpoint management. Through its Preventative Security Model™, IGEL enforces Zero Trust principles by design — using a modular, read-only OS with no local data to eliminate common attack surfaces. By extending device lifespans and reducing software overhead, IGEL helps organizations cut total cost of ownership and achieve sustainability goals. Trusted globally across healthcare, financial services, retail, manufacturing, and government sectors, IGEL enables secure, sustainable, and centrally managed digital workspaces. Founded in 2001, IGEL is backed by a global IGEL Ready partner ecosystem of more than 100 integrated technology vendors, supporting customers in over 50 countries. For more information on what IGEL can do for you, visit
