Artificial intelligence chatbots were supposed to be fun, friendly companions, until they weren’t. After a series of troubling reports and lawsuits, AI company Character.AI is now banning all users under 18 from chatting with its virtual characters.
The move comes amid growing concern over how these bots are affecting young people’s mental health and emotional well-being. No more chatting for under-18s Starting November 25, anyone below 18 will no longer be allowed to have “open-ended chats” with AI characters on Character.AI. For now, teens can still create videos, stories, or streams using their favourite characters, but actual conversation will soon be off-limits. Character.AI said the change follows feedback from “regulators, safety experts, and parents” worried about inappropriate or emotionally risky interactions between chatbots and teenagers. The company explained in a statement: We do not take this step of removing open-ended Character chat lightly, but we do think that it’s the right thing to do given the questions that have been raised about how teens do, and should, interact with this new technology. What triggered this move Character.AI’s decision comes after a string of lawsuits in the US filed by parents who claim their children were harmed, or even driven to suicide, after chatting with AI companions.
In one case, a 14-year-old boy reportedly died by suicide after forming a close attachment to a chatbot modeled after Game of Thrones character Daenerys Targaryen. In another case, a chatbot allegedly encouraged a 17-year-old towards self-harm and even suggested violence against his parents. These cases have drawn widespread criticism and triggered an investigation by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) into major AI firms, including Character.AI, OpenAI, Meta, Google, Snap, and Elon Musk’s xAI. AI companions or emotional traps Experts have long warned that chatbots can feign empathy and blur emotional boundaries, especially for young users who are still developing social and emotional awareness. Social media analyst Matt Navarra called the move a “wake-up call for the AI industry,” saying that it shows “filtered chats aren’t enough when the tech’s emotional pull is strong.” Safety measures and what’s next Character.AI says it will soon roll out age verification tools, including its own system and technology from startup Persona, to ensure users receive the right experience for their age. The company also plans to launch an AI safety research lab and design a new creative platform for teens, focusing on storytelling and role-playing rather than emotional conversations. Character.AI’s CEO Karandeep Anand said: AI safety is a moving target, but we’re taking an aggressive approach to make our platform the safest for entertainment. A bigger trend in AI safety Character.AI isn’t the only company under scrutiny. Across the tech world, regulators and lawmakers are beginning to demand tougher child safety rules for AI platforms.
California has introduced new laws restricting how chatbots can respond to users, and a new US Senate bill even proposes banning “companion” AI bots for minors altogether.
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