ChatGPT: Parents Now Fastest-Growing User Group, OpenAI Adapts

Parents are now the fastest-growing user group for ChatGPT. This demographic shift is significant, with users aged 35 and older increasing their share of the global user base. OpenAI is responding by hiring a product manager focused on families, caregivers, and older adults. This role will define product strategy for these non-standard demographics. The numbers show users 35 and older accounted for 31% of ChatGPT’s global base in the second quarter of 2026, up from 26% a year earlier. Meanwhile, users between 18 and 24 fell from 34% to 29% in the same period. Parents are even setting up ChatGPT for their teenagers, believing it helps academically. What's interesting is that 27% of parents believe their children use generative AI weekly, but the actual figure is 38%. This gap has drawn attention from online child safety organizations. OpenAI is rolling out family-facing features, like parental controls for teen accounts and a Trusted Contact feature for self-harm alerts. This trend highlights how AI companies are adapting as their products find unexpected uses within families.