What Is OpenAI’s Sora? A Parent’s Guide to OpenAI’s Video Tool

Truthfully, when I downloaded Sora to test it for this article, I was already skeptical of the app. Everything I’d read made me apprehensive about this technology in the hands of children. 

In fact, Common Sense, a media watchdog that I look to as a parent, categorized the risk to kids from using Sora as unacceptable. What I discovered in my own testing did little to quash my concerns.

Harmful content, startlingly realistic fake Sora videos, and the ease with which your child’s likeness can be used by others to make videos are just a few of the dangers. This guide explains what Sora is, how AI-generated Sora videos work, why parents should be concerned, and what precautions you can take if your child uses the app.

What is Sora? 

Sora is the latest offering from OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT. Here’s what you need to know about how Sora works:

• From a text prompt, users can post AI-generated videos that range from hyper-realistic to absurd.
• The app functions like TikTok, except the videos are entirely fake. 
• Users can follow and friend others on the app. 
• Users can upload a Cameo (a short snippet of video and audio) of themselves to use in videos. 
• Depending on the permissions a user sets, other people can use their cameo to create videos.  
• Videos created on Sora can be posted on other platforms. The videos are watermarked, but this can easily be removed with third-party software.   

Should parents be concerned about OpenAI’s Sora? 

Yes. Even though Sora has made safety improvements since its original launch, it’s still a dangerous place for kids. Here are the biggest risks: 

1. Blurring of the truth

Many Sora videos are extremely realistic, making it hard for kids to distinguish truth from fiction. That’s especially true when they’re shared on other, more trusted platforms. 

I was able to quickly generate realistic news clips announcing everything from hurricanes flattening Hawaii to the return of the military draft.

2. Your child’s likeness can be misused 

Sora’s Cameo feature lets users insert their face and voice into AI-generated videos. Sora has some safeguards to protect how your child’s likeness can be used, such as permission levels for who can use their Cameo, but these protections are easily bypassed.

That leaves your child with little control over what videos are made of them, and videos can be shared anywhere online.

3. Harmful content is easy to access

Content depicting violence, racism, disordered eating, and self-harm is plentiful on Sora. 

The content restrictions were stronger than I expected, but with clever phrasing, they can be bypassed. For example, when I typed the prompt “teen girl measuring herself,” it was flagged. But when I swapped “teen girl” for “young woman,” I got a video with body checking written all over it. 

Does Sora have parental controls? 

To their credit, OpenAI recently launched teen accounts, which include reduced exposure to sensitive content and stricter permissions for cameos. You can connect your ChatGPT account to your child’s to set parental controls. 

It’s a step in the right direction but has major gaps. Here’s what you can and can’t do with Sora’s parental controls: 

Strengths of Sora’s parental controls 

Parents can:

1. Opt your child out of a personalized feed. This means that Sora doesn’t draw from your child’s ChatGPT records or Sora history to target videos, which helps prevent them from getting stuck in a dangerous algorithm. 
2. Block your child from sending and receiving direct messages. (Adult accounts are automatically prevented from sending DMs to teen accounts.) 
3. Turn off an uninterrupted content feed while your child scrolls. This step reduces endless content exposure.

These settings help, but they’re far from comprehensive.

Weaknesses of Sora’s parental controls 

1. Insufficient age verification. Age verification on Sora is entirely self-reported. Parental controls mean nothing if a child can lie about their age and create an adult account. It also means that adults can lie about their age in order to message teens. 
2. Parents can’t turn off their child’s feed. You can limit recommendations, but you can’t disable browsing or video generation.
3. No ability to see your child’s activity on Sora. Parents cannot see what their child creates or watches on Sora. And unlike ChatGPT, if your child watches or creates something concerning, you won’t get an alert.  
4. Parents can’t monitor who has their child’s cameo. If your child uploads their image to Sora, you have no insight into who is using it or how. 

How can I help my child use Sora safely?

My honest answer, as a parent and someone who writes about parenting in the digital era, is that there’s no safe way for a child to use OpenAI’s Sora. But your risk tolerance may be different. 

If you choose to let your child use Sora, here are steps you can take to help them do so more safely. 

1. Utilize parental controls. Sora’s parental controls are insufficient, but better than nothing. Use them to their fullest. 
2. Talk to your child about the risks. Educate them on how easy it is to fall for fake videos and the dangers of letting others use their likeness. 
3. Use a third-party monitoring app. BrightCanary monitors everything your child types across all platforms, including Sora, and alerts you to any concerns. 

In short

Sora is an AI-powered video generation app and social media platform from OpenAI. Despite new protections, it remains unsafe for children. Harmful content, distortion of the truth, and a lack of control over how their likeness appears in videos are some of the reasons Sora is dangerous for kids. 

If you let your child use Sora, you should set parental controls, talk to them about the dangers, and use a third-party monitoring app like BrightCanary to stay informed about what they’re typing online. Download today to get started for free.