What to know

  • ChatGPT’s “treat adult users like adults” principle paves way for mature content.
  • Age verification and parental controls launch in December for erotica access.
  • Restrictions eased after improving mental-health safeguards and detection tools.
  • Similar features already exist in competing AI companions like xAI’s Grok.

Sam Altman announced on X that OpenAI would adopt a core principle of “treat adult users like adults.” Under this ethos, ChatGPT will offer verified adults access to erotica and other mature content beginning in December, once age-gate features roll out.

Since its launch, ChatGPT has restricted explicit sexual content to protect vulnerable users and comply with safety policies. Those guardrails were tightened after incidents highlighting mental-health risks, including suicidal ideation cases. It appears that OpenAI is making a U-turn.

The upcoming release is expected to include:

  • ID verification: Users confirm age via government IDs or trusted third-party services.
  • Parental controls: Settings to block mature content on under-18 accounts.
  • Opt-in mode: Erotica generation only activates when users explicitly request it.

These measures are purportedly aimed to ensure minors remain protected while giving consenting adults broader freedom.

OpenAI credits new tools for identifying and assisting users in emotional distress with enabling safer relaxation of restrictions. After integrating prompts to detect self-harm risk and deploying break reminders, the company feels confident easing limits “in most cases” without compromising well-being.

The erotica mode will roll out in December 2025. No additional fees beyond existing ChatGPT Plus or Enterprise plans have been announced.

Alongside erotica, OpenAI will introduce new personality toggles, letting users adjust tone, friendliness, and emoji use—bringing back the conversational style many missed in GPT-4o.