Character.ai to ban teens for using chatbots

Character.ai, the chatbot firm, is banning teens under 18 from using chatbots after facing severe criticism and lawsuits against the firm for its effect on teenagers’ psyches and mental health.

The platform, founded in 2021, is used by millions to talk to chatbots powered by artificial intelligence AI.

The AI firm allows users to create fictional AI characters that can chat with, create content with, and chat with other AI characters.

These characters can be based on real people, existing fictional characters, or user-generated.

Under the new rules, effective November 25, 2025, teenagers will no longer be able to talk to characters, but can still create video content with AI characters on the site.

Chatacter.AI says it will work to “build an under-18 experience that still gives our teen users ways to be creative.”

Chats for under-18s will also be limited rather than open-ended.

Before the rule change, Chatacter.AI faced several lawsuits in the US from concerned parents, including parents of a teenager who committed suicide after having conversations for months with an AI chatbot’s platform.

Following the death of the teen and the lawsuit from his parents, Character.AI introduced Parental Insights, which provided guardians more insight into how their children are using the platform.

However, added pressure from children’s rights groups and internet safety advocates, as well as threats of regulatory scrutiny, has primed the firm to take further action to protect teens.

Character.ai has been criticised in the past for hosting potentially harmful or offensive chatbots that children could interact with.

AI safety researcher Dr Nomisha Kurain said it was "a sensible move to restrict teens using chatbots.”

"Character.ai's new measures might reflect a maturing phase in the AI industry - child safety is increasingly being recognised as an urgent priority for responsible innovation," Dr Nomisha added.