Character.AI will ban under-18s from chatting with its AI characters and introduce time limits, following lawsuits alleging the platform contributed to a teenager’s death.
Character.AI, a popular chatbot platform, said on Thursday it will restrict access for minors amid growing scrutiny of how artificial intelligence interactions affect children’s mental health.
The California-based company announced that users under 18 will be blocked from engaging in open-ended conversations with its AI characters, and a two-hour daily usage limit will take effect by 25 November.
The decision follows several lawsuits, including one filed by the mother of a 17-year-old who alleges an AI character encouraged her son to take his own life.
Character.AI, which allows users to create and chat with humanlike AI “characters,” said it will introduce age-verification checks to identify minors. Similar measures are being explored across the tech sector, though experts note they are often flawed and raise privacy concerns.
Face scans and ID uploads, for example, can be inaccurate or intrusive, critics say. “They have not addressed how they will operationalise age verification, how they will ensure their methods are privacy-preserving, nor have they addressed the possible psychological impact of suddenly disabling access to young users,” said Meetali Jain, executive director of the Tech Justice Law Project.
The company said it is developing child-focused features, including AI-assisted tools for creating videos, stories and livestreams, alongside an AI safety lab.
A study by Common Sense Media found that more than 70 % of teenagers have used AI companion platforms, with about half doing so regularly. Experts warn that such tools can foster emotional dependency and that stronger safeguards are needed to protect young users.
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French senators on Monday approved a revised 2026 budget bill that the government warned could worsen the country’s fiscal deficit, setting the stage for tense negotiations between parliament’s two chambers later this week.
Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, has said that Ukraine has not provided Moscow with a list of thousands of children it alleges were taken illegally to Russia, despite the issue being discussed during talks in Istanbul.
Iranian authorities have seized a foreign tanker carrying more than 6 million litres of smuggled fuel in the Sea of Oman, detaining all 18 crew members on board.
An explosive device found in a vehicle linked to one of the alleged attackers in Bondi shooting has been secured and removed according to Police. The incident left 12 people dead.
The latest round of clashes between Thailand and Cambodia has left 15 Thai soldiers dead and 270 others injured, Thailand’s Ministry of Defence spokesman Surasant Kongsiri said at a press conference on Saturday.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has offered condolences to President Donald Trump following an ISIS attack near the ancient city of Palmyra that killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter, Syrian and U.S. officials said Sunday.
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Time Magazine has chosen the creators behind artificial intelligence as its 2025 Person of the Year, highlighting the technology’s sweeping impact on global business, politics and daily life.
Children are forming new patterns of trust and attachment with artificial intelligence (AI) companions, entering a world where digital partners shape their play, their confidence and the conversations they no longer share with adults.
The International Robot Exhibition (IREX) opened in Tokyo on 3 December, bringing together visitors to explore robotics applications for industry, healthcare, logistics, and everyday life.
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators, including prominent Republican China hawk Tom Cotton, introduced the SAFE CHIPS Act on Thursday, aiming to prevent the Trump administration from easing restrictions on China’s access to advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips for a period of 2.5 years.
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