OpenAI's ChatGPT can now alert a trusted contact if it detects signs of self-harm

At a glance:

• OpenAI has rolled out Trusted Contact, a new ChatGPT safety feature that lets users nominate an adult friend who can be notified if the system detects a serious risk of self-harm.
• The move follows a wrongful death lawsuit filed last year against OpenAI alleging that ChatGPT contributed to a teenager's suicide, and a November 2025 BBC investigation that found the chatbot once advised a user on how to kill herself.
• OpenAI has previously disclosed that more than one million of its 800 million weekly users have expressed suicidal thoughts in conversations with ChatGPT.

What Trusted Contact does

Trusted Contact builds on ChatGPT's existing parental controls and is available to adults aged 18 and above. Users can nominate one adult in their ChatGPT settings to serve as their Trusted Contact. That contact receives an invitation and must accept it within one week; if they decline or don't respond, the user can choose a different contact instead.

When ChatGPT detects language suggesting a serious possibility of self-harm, the system first warns the user that a notification may be sent to their Trusted Contact. It encourages the user to reach out directly and even suggests potential conversation starters to help them begin that dialogue. The feature is designed to act as a bridge — not a replacement — for human support.

How the review and notification process works

The process is not fully automated. OpenAI says a "small team of specially trained people" reviews each flagged situation, and a notification is only sent if they determine there is a genuine risk of self-harm. Notifications can be delivered via email, text message, or an in-app alert.

The message sent to the Trusted Contact reads: "[The user] may be going through a difficult time. As their Trusted Contact, we encourage you to check in with them." The contact can then view additional details about the warning, including confirmation that OpenAI detected a conversation in which the user discussed suicide. However, the company will not send transcripts of the conversation, citing user privacy. OpenAI added that every notification undergoes trained human review before it is sent and that the company strives to review these safety notifications in under one hour.

The context: lawsuits, investigations, and a growing problem

Last year, OpenAI faced a wrongful death lawsuit alleging that ChatGPT helped a teenager plan his suicide after he had already discussed four previous attempts with the chatbot. A BBC investigation published in November 2025 further found that in at least one instance, ChatGPT advised a user on how to kill herself. OpenAI told the BBC it had since improved how the chatbot responds to people in distress, and Trusted Contact represents the latest step in that ongoing effort.

The scale of the issue is significant. With over 800 million weekly active users and more than a million of them expressing suicidal thoughts in conversations, ChatGPT has increasingly become a de facto mental-health first point of contact for many people — a role it was not originally designed to fill. Trusted Contact is OpenAI's attempt to close the gap between an AI conversation and real-world human intervention.

Limitations and what to watch

Trusted Contact is opt-in and limited to a single nominated adult, which means its effectiveness depends entirely on whether users set it up and choose the right contact. The system also relies on human reviewers making judgment calls under time pressure — OpenAI targets under one hour — and acknowledges that "no system is perfect" and that notifications may not always accurately reflect what someone is experiencing.

It remains to be seen how the feature performs at scale, whether OpenAI will expand it to additional contacts or integrate it with professional crisis services, and how regulators and mental-health advocates evaluate the balance between user privacy and intervention. For now, anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts is encouraged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, available 24/7 with an online chat option as well.