OpenAI has officially confirmed when it plans to release its highly anticipated adult mode in ChatGPT. The Sam Altman-led AI company has now shared a clear timeline for the release of its controversial Adult Mode for ChatGPT, which is now slated to roll out in the first quarter of 2026. The announcement, which was delivered by Fidji Simo, CEO of Applications at OpenAI, during the briefing on the new GPT-5.2 model, marks a major shift in philosophy for the company. OpenAI is moving toward the principle of “treating adult users like adults.”
The new mode is designed to lift the long-standing, strict content restrictions that have often prevented the chatbot from engaging in mature conversations, exploring erotica, and adopting less “prudish” or restrictive tones, thus addressing complaints that the standard model was “less useful/enjoyable to many users.”
ChatGPT and age verification: How Adult Mode fits in
The key to unlocking this Adult Mode content will be a robust age verification system. OpenAI has acknowledged the severe risks of minors accessing explicit material with traditional age verification systems and, hence, is taking a cautious, phased approach to implementation.
Verification methods: The system will employ a mix of age-prediction AI, which analyses user behaviour to infer age, and in some cases or countries, direct government ID checks via third-party services.
Testing phase: Simo confirmed that the company is currently testing the age prediction model in select countries to ensure its accuracy in identifying minors and to minimise the risk of incorrectly flagging adults.
Opt-in access: The Adult Mode will be strictly opt-in and remain switched off by default. Users must explicitly request and pass verification to unlock the content.
ChatGPT, mental health and moral policing
The plan to relax restrictions comes after controversies, where the default and restrictive model failed to prevent mental health crises. Some users even reported becoming overly attached or led into delusional scenarios with the older GPT models. CEO Sam Altman previously admitted they had made the model “pretty restrictive” to mitigate mental health risks, but now believes new tools—including a behavioural router in GPT-5.2 that detects concerning patterns—allow them to “safely relax the restrictions in most cases.”
The decision has reignited fierce debate. People argue that the move respects adult autonomy and creative freedom, aligning AI interactions with real-world norms where R-rated movies and mature literature are permissible. Altman has defended the policy by stating OpenAI is “not the elected moral police of the world.”
Critics, including mental health advocates, however, raise serious concerns over the psychological impact of AI intimacy, the potential for dependence, and the risk of data privacy breaches associated with storing highly sensitive age verification data like IDs.
