Character.ai
High riskRated High · How we rate
The teen-companion chat that caused the harm is gone — the risk moved to the unregulated substitutes that replaced it.
| Minimum age | 13 |
|---|---|
| Strangers can contact | No |
| Location sharing | No |
| Disappearing messages | No |
| Parental visibility | None |
Character.ai lets users chat with AI-powered characters — fictional, celebrity, or custom-created. After multiple lawsuits over teen self-harm, the platform removed open-ended chat for under-18 users in November 2025: teens can still create characters, videos, and stories, but not the free-form 'companion' conversations that drove the documented harm. Parental Insights gives a parent a weekly time-and-themes summary (not message content). The bigger risk now is migration to less-regulated substitutes — Replika, Kindroid, Janitor AI — that have none of these guardrails.
Finding Character.ai on a device
- Search "Character.ai" or "c.ai" on the home screen
- Check browser history for character.ai
- Look for the app in App Store/Google Play download history
Conversation you should have
- Ask your teen if they use it and what characters they talk to
- Explain the difference between AI responses and real human connection
- Discuss why forming emotional attachment to a program is risky
- Set clear limits on daily time if they continue using it
If you want to allow limited use
- Keep the app on a shared/family device only
- Agree on a 30-minute daily maximum
- Check in regularly about what they're using it for
Other apps to know about
BIGO LIVE
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Calculator# Hide Photos Videos
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Discord
High riskBuilt for gamers but now used for everything — the private servers and DMs are where the real risks hide.
Updated June 2026
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