GardionHow to limit ChatGPT and DeepSeek for kids: time limits, blocks and what to discuss
Aleksandr Popov · · How we write our articles
Between September 28 and October 28, kids in Gardion households spent 141 hours in AI chatbots on Android: 70 hours in DeepSeek, 66 in ChatGPT and 5 in Alice AI. None of those households had set a limit or a block on these apps. The sample is small. ChatGPT was opened on five devices and DeepSeek on nine, so the numbers show scale, not exact shares. An AI chatbot is now an ordinary app on a schoolchild's phone, and parents rarely set rules for it yet. Below: what the services say about age, what ChatGPT's own parental controls do, and how to limit AI chatbots on your child's phone and computer.
What age are ChatGPT and DeepSeek for
OpenAI's Terms of Use say you must be at least 13, or the minimum age in your country if it is higher. Anyone under 18 needs a parent's or guardian's permission.
DeepSeek's Terms of Use give no single number. They ask users under 18 to read the terms together with a legal guardian.
What you can set inside ChatGPT
ChatGPT has parental controls. You invite your teen to link accounts, and once they accept you manage their settings from your own account. You can set quiet hours when ChatGPT can't be used, turn off voice mode, memory and image generation, and opt your teen out of model training. A linked teen account also gets extra content protections by default.
These settings have limits. A teen can unlink the account, and you get a notification when that happens. You don't see the conversations: OpenAI contacts parents only when its systems detect signs of acute distress. And the controls cover one service. DeepSeek and other chatbots are not covered.
How to limit an AI chatbot on your child's phone
Gardion sets limits and blocks per app. There is no single limit for all AI chatbots, because the app catalog has no category for them yet, as it does for games or browsers.
1. In the parent app, open the list of apps on your child's phone.
2. Find ChatGPT, DeepSeek or Alice AI. Next to each app you can see how many minutes it ran today.
3. Choose a limit or a block. A limit in minutes keeps the chatbot available for homework without letting it fill the evening. A block closes the app completely until you lift it.
We describe the difference between a limit, a block and a one-time unblock in the guide to blocking apps on a child's phone. If your child needs the chatbot for a lesson right now, unblock only that app, and only until the hour you choose.
Websites and the computer
A chatbot also runs in a browser. If you close the app, your child can still open chatgpt.com. Add the site addresses to Specific sites, and the block works in every browser at once, subdomains included. For ChatGPT that is chatgpt.com. For DeepSeek it is chat.deepseek.com.
On Windows the same list works the same way. How protection works on a computer is covered in parental controls for Windows.
Block it or agree on rules
We suggest starting with a conversation and a limit. A block makes sense if the agreement keeps getting broken. A chatbot can explain a topic, check an essay or suggest a project idea. It can also hand over a finished answer, and then the child isn't doing the homework. We like a simple rule from the media plan template: open the chatbot after you've solved the problem yourself, to check your answer.
Three things are worth discussing with a teen: an AI answer can be wrong, real names, addresses and photos don't go into a chat, and worries are better shared with a real person.
Where to start
1. Check whether your child has an AI chatbot: open the app list in the parent app.
2. Decide between a limit and a block, and set it for each app.
3. Add the site addresses to Specific sites.
4. Agree with your child on when the chatbot can be opened.
Gardion installs on the phone through the install guide. The first 14 days include every feature, no card needed. A fix usually ships in an update within one or two days of your report.
Sources
Checked on November 7, 2026.
- OpenAI Terms of Use - Introducing parental controls in ChatGPT, updated July 13, 2026 - DeepSeek Terms of Use
In short
No. Gardion shows that the app was running and for how many minutes. It doesn't read or record the conversations.
They cover only ChatGPT, and only while your child's account is linked to yours. Other apps and websites stay outside their reach.
Set a limit in minutes for the app. If you need the chatbot closed during lessons, look at school mode.
Set limits in 3 minutes
Limits, schedule and anti-bypass protection on Windows and Android. 14 days of full access, no card needed.
Try GardionOr install the parent app now.
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