ChatGPT Guide (2025): What Parents, Educators & Students Need to Know

ChatGPT is a large language model, web-based app launched in 2022 that has quickly risen to mainstream popularity. Within the first two months, ChatGPT gained over 100 million users, drastically faster than TikTok, which took nine months to reach the 100 million user mark.

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chatbot that can answer questions and provide information on almost any topic. Many students are using this technological innovation as a tutor or to help them refine their writing skills; however, many teachers are concerned that using ChatGPT will lead to cheating or bring up safety issues.

We took a deep dive into the pros and cons of using ChatGPT to help students find the most productive ways to use this tool in a way that will support their education. In this ChatGPT Guide, learn what ChatGPT is and what it can do so you can make an informed decision about whether or not it is right for your family.

Download this worksheet to follow along with the videos.

Using ChatGPT for Brainstorming (video)

Top concerns about ChatGPT

• There are no parental controls, and students can access adult content through ChatGPT. Users must be 13 and have parental permission if they are under 18, but there is no age verification, so it is easy for students to bypass this
• Cheating is possible using ChatGPT since students may use it as a shortcut to doing their own work, for example, although teachers are getting more creative and starting to assign projects that cannot be completed using an artificial intelligence language model
• Information entered into ChatGPT is not private. Anything typed into ChatGPT may be used to improve models (unless you opt out in "Settings"). Students should avoid sharing personal details or confidential school information

How does ChatGPT work?

• ChatGPT uses a large language model developed by OpenAI that is extremely popular and gained over 100 million users in only two months after its November 2022 launch
• ChatGPT can quickly generate content using natural language commands, making it easy to generate responses that help support learning, even with a free account
• ChatGPT is a web-based computer program that can understand and respond to conversational language to provide information or have conversations about nearly any subject, as well as respond to human feedback
• Users can customize their responses from ChatGPT through “Settings,” even giving it personality traits such as Chatty, Witty, Straight Shooting, Encouraging, Gen Z, Traditional, or Forward Thinking

Is ChatGPT free?

• There is a free version of ChatGPT available as an app or via a webpage, but there are usage caps and reduced access to advanced capabilities
• There are more advanced versions available for a monthly subscription
• Students can access a “Study and learn” mode from the free version of ChatGPT.  This mode is designed to help students learn with interactive learning prompts, Socratic questioning, quizzes, and hints
  

What is a ChatGPT prompt?

• ChatGPT uses “prompts,” or text-based instructions, to tell it what kind of information the user wants to receive
• Users can refine the answers they receive by asking follow-up prompts such as, “Make it more professional” or “Can you give me more information?” since ChatGPT remembers previous requests
• Prompt engineering is a new term for a field that is made up of people who are experts at creating the perfect prompt to get the best information

How to Use ChatGPT as a Tutor (video)

Examples of ways students use ChatGPT  

• ChatGPT can be used as a research assistant (similar to search engines) for students, provided they double-check all information (we recommend students verify the information with at least two valid sources)
• Brainstorming ideas for essays, project ideas, and more is easy with ChatGPT
• ChatGPT has dialogue applications in language learning, so it can be used for conversation practice. Tell ChatGPT which language you want to practice and it will generate text that you can respond to in a conversational format
• ChatGPT can provide spreadsheet formulas, check programming code, and provide grammatical help

What limitations does ChatGPT have?

• Accuracy isn’t guaranteed with ChatGPT.  It can confidently give incorrect or outdated information or invent statistics, quotes, or citations. These are known as “hallucinations"
• Even with GPT-5’s web search integration, free-tier users don’t always get real-time information
• Without the internet enabled, the model relies on its last training data, which might miss the latest research, events, or curriculum updates
• Students risk developing a potential for overreliance.  Using it for every assignment can lead to weaker critical thinking and writing skills
• ChatGPT may reflect biases in its data and may miss cultural context or reinforce stereotypes
• AI-generated text should be edited by a human to fit the writer’s tone and meet the needs of the assignment

Full Event Replay (Parent Video)

More resources for parents, students, & educators

• AI for Student Success: Being Productive & Learning Future Skills
• Positive Ways to Use ChatGPT for Students
• AI Writing Tools for Students: What You Need to Know About Jasper AI, ChatGPT, and More
• Safeguard Your Student's Future with Our Free Social Media Agreement
• How to Use AI for College Prep: What Parents, Educators, & Students Need to Know

Conclusion

There’s no doubt that ChatGPT is likely to change many things going forward. This AI tool has quickly become mainstream and has numerous benefits for students, parents, and educators, as well as professionals working in many different fields. New features are being added all the time, and we will likely see ChatGPT used to create content for many applications in the future.

There are concerns about cheating, privacy, and access to inappropriate content, which parents should be aware of. However, learning how to use ChatGPT in an academically honest way can offer many benefits to students. This technology is still emerging, so staying informed and adapting to the changes ChatGPT and other AI tools bring to education is essential.