ChatGPT 5 was released last week, and many people — including parents — are curious about what’s new, how it works, and whether it’s right for their family. Here are answers to the most common questions.
Is ChatGPT 5 Better Than Previous Versions?
In many tests used by AI companies (called “benchmarks”), ChatGPT 5 scored higher than earlier versions, though not in every single category.
However, numbers don’t tell the whole story. For many users, the real question is how it feels to use. Some people find GPT-5’s tone less “chatty” than older versions. It tends to give direct, to-the-point answers rather than friendly back-and-forth conversation.
Why Does ChatGPT 5 Sometimes Feel Slow?
ChatGPT 5 uses something called a router model. In older versions, you had to choose from a drop-down list of models. Many users found this step confusing. Now, ChatGPT 5 automatically picks the best model for your question.
When GPT-5 first launched, there was a bug that sometimes made it choose a slower “thinking” model unnecessarily. This has now been fixed.
Can I Control Which Model It Uses?
Yes. If you start a question and ChatGPT tells you it’s “thinking deeply,” you’ll see a Get a Quick Answer button. Clicking it will switch to a faster model — though the answer might not be as detailed.
If you want more depth, you can add a phrase like “Think hard about this” to your question. This tells ChatGPT to use its more thoughtful model.
Can I Still Use GPT-4o?
OpenAI has said it may bring back GPT-4o for paying customers, but this is not confirmed yet.
Does ChatGPT 5 Still Make Mistakes (“Hallucinate”)?
All AI tools can still make errors, so you should always double-check important information.
The good news is that GPT-5 is less likely to make things up than GPT-4o. Independent tests suggest GPT-5 is more honest when it can’t find an answer. For example, admitting it doesn’t have a certain document rather than inventing one.
Can Free Users Access ChatGPT 5?
Yes. GPT-5 is now the only model available to all users. However, different subscription tiers have different limits.
If you use up your quota of the most advanced GPT-5 models, it will switch you to a simpler version.
Free users may wait longer in queues for things like image generation.
Is ChatGPT 5 Safe for Children?
OpenAI’s minimum age for ChatGPT is still 13+. For younger children, direct supervision is essential.
At the AI Literacy School (from the Educational App Store), we continue to support parents in using AI tools safely, ethically, and effectively, helping you reap the benefits while keeping your child protected.