Is Character.AI safe for kids?
Character.AI is not designed for children. Its terms require users to be at least 13 (16 in the UK and EEA), and since late November 2025 it no longer lets under-18s have open-ended chats with its characters. Common Sense Media advises that no one under 18 should use social AI companions.
No, Character.AI is not a safe choice for children. It is a platform for chatting and role-playing with AI "characters", many created by other users, and it was built for teens and adults. Its terms set a minimum age of 13, or 16 for users in the UK and European Economic Area. For under-13s the answer is simple: they shouldn't be on it.
What changed for teens
On 29 October 2025 Character.AI announced that it would end open-ended chat for users under 18, with the change in place by 25 November 2025. Teens can still use more structured features such as Stories, where they pick characters and steer a plot through choices.
To decide who counts as under 18, the company said it would combine its own age-estimation model with third-party checks from Persona, and fall back to facial age estimation or ID checks. Age checks reduce risk but can be wrong or worked around, so treat them as one layer rather than a guarantee.
Why parents and experts were worried
- Emotional attachment. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that children with "more magical, less critical thinking" are especially drawn to human-like companion bots, and that chatbots "don't care about our children" however warm they sound (HealthyChildren.org).
- Inappropriate role play. Common Sense Media's April 2025 risk assessment of social AI companions, which included Character.AI, found that teen guardrails were easy to get around and concluded the products pose unacceptable risks to under-18s.
- Serious harm. Character.AI faces lawsuits, including one over the suicide of a 14-year-old who had formed an attachment to a character.
- Regulatory scrutiny. In September 2025 the US Federal Trade Commission ordered seven companies, including Character Technologies, to explain how they test and limit companion chatbots for children and teens (FTC).
If your child uses Character.AI
- Ask, don't accuse. "Which characters do you talk to? What do you like about them?" tells you more than a lecture.
- Check their age setting. If they signed up with an adult birth date, they skipped the teen protections.
- Look for warning signs. Withdrawing from friends, secrecy about the app, distress when they can't use it, or preferring the bot to people. The AAP suggests talking to your pediatrician if your child seems withdrawn and prefers chatbots to people.
- Agree a plan. For under-13s, remove it. For teens, discuss whether it adds anything their friends, hobbies and other apps don't.
Companion-style features are also appearing in other apps and games, so these conversations matter even after one app is deleted. Our page on whether an AI companion can help a lonely child goes further into attachment.
A safer way to scratch the same itch
Many children love Character.AI for storytelling and imaginative play. That need is real and worth meeting. Look for a service made for children, where content filtering is built for kids and a parent can see what is happening. Askie, for example, is an AI companion for ages 4-15 that creates stories with children, adapts to their age, and lets parents review conversation transcripts. Our Askie vs Character.AI comparison and the guide to a safe AI friend for kids cover the differences in detail.
A safe AI your child can talk to
Askie is a voice-first AI companion built for children, with answers adapted to your child's age and parental controls you set.