Character.AI's under-18 ban, explained

What changed on November 25, 2025

Character.AI began rolling out a ban on open-ended chats for users under 18. "Open-ended" is the key phrase. It means the free-form, back-and-forth conversation with a bot, the core thing the platform is known for. Teens reportedly keep access to some other features, such as video and Stories-style creation, but they lose the unrestricted chat experience itself.

The change is arriving as a gradual rollout, so exact behavior may differ between accounts and regions as it expands. The direction is unambiguous, though: Character.AI is structurally separating what minors can do from what adults can do, and free chat is now on the adults-only side of that line.

How the age checks work

To enforce the split, Character.AI uses what it calls "age assurance." By its own description, this combines an in-house model (built to estimate whether a user is likely over or under 18) with third-party verification tools, including Persona. The practical effect is that gaining access to open-ended chat now depends on clearing some form of age check rather than simply ticking a box.

Age estimation gets it wrong sometimes. The checks have been live since early 2026 and adults still report being flagged and asked to verify again. It is annoying, but you can clear the check, and a false flag doesn't lock you out for good.

Why Character.AI did this

The change didn't come out of nowhere. It followed a period of lawsuits and public criticism tied to several teenagers who died by suicide after prolonged conversations with AI bots. We're not going to detail those cases here out of respect for the families involved. What matters for understanding the policy is that safety concerns, and the legal and regulatory pressure that followed, drove the decision.

Regulators moved too. In September 2025, the US Federal Trade Commission opened an inquiry into seven chatbot companies, Character.AI among them, focused on child safety. For a company already facing litigation, restricting minors' access to open-ended chat is the kind of step that addresses both the lawsuits and the regulators at once.

What has happened since

January 2026: Character.AI and Google agreed to settle five lawsuits over teen suicides and mental health harm, including the Garcia case in Florida. The terms are confidential and nobody admitted liability (CNN).

July 2026: Italy's data protection authority fined Character.AI €158,000. Its reasons included age checks that didn't work and training on user data without a proper opt-out. The company has to block banned minors from signing up again, make minors' profiles private by default and report back within 120 days (DataGuidance).

September 2026: CEO Karandeep Anand is leaving to become Disney's first CTO. Disney sent Character.AI a cease and desist letter over its characters a year earlier. No successor had been named when TechCrunch reported it (TechCrunch).

This isn't just a Character.AI story

The same pressure is landing across the category. Several US states passed chatbot laws in 2026 aimed at protecting minors, and since August 2026 the EU AI Act requires chatbots to tell users they are talking to an AI. Janitor AI started age checks in Australia and Brazil in April 2026 and in the UK in June, and xAI retired Grok's companion avatars in September. Age gates are becoming standard for companion apps in general.

One expert concern comes up repeatedly. Blanket bans on minors can have the unintended effect of pushing young users toward unmoderated, offshore apps with weaker safeguards. Whether the major platforms' approach reduces harm or just relocates it is an open question, and one reason this story is likely to keep developing.

What this means if you're an adult

The headlines tend to skip one nuance. The ban applies to minors. Adults can still use Character.AI. If you're over 18 and clear the age check, the open-ended chat you came for is still there.

But there's a reason a lot of adult users were already shopping for alternatives before any of this. Character.AI has been tightening its content filters for years, and the complaints are well documented. Scenes get cut off, characters break role to apologize, and anything mature gets blocked. The under-18 ban doesn't change that filter. If anything, it confirms the platform is heading toward more safety controls. For an adult who wants uncensored roleplay, the practical takeaway is that Character.AI is not trying to serve that use case and isn't going to start.

If you want the full breakdown of why the filter behaves the way it does, and whether the company itself is trustworthy, we've covered both. See is Character.AI legit? for the trust angle, and Character.AI NSFW alternatives for the apps we'd switch to.

Where adults go now

If the filter (not the under-18 ban) is what's pushing you out, here's the short list we'd recommend, depending on what you're after.

Candy.ai: our overall #1. It has the most polished single-companion experience in the category, with a clean app, image generation, voice messages and calls paid from its monthly tokens, and adult roleplay that doesn't fight you. If you want a "girlfriend app" that feels finished rather than a marketplace of uneven user-made bots, this is the default pick. Try Candy.ai →

Janitor.AI: free, with the filter set by your model. If what you loved about Character.AI was the marketplace (thousands of community-made character cards, browse and discover, no subscription needed), Janitor is the closest match. It's free to use, needs no credit card unless you buy the optional janitor+, and its default model has a moderate filter, so bring your own model if you want fewer limits. The trade-off is no images or voice, and a bit of setup if you want to bring your own model key.

Not sure which direction fits you? Our ranked roundup of the best AI girlfriend apps of 2026 compares the whole field.

FAQ

Did Character.AI ban everyone, or just minors?

Just minors. Starting November 25, 2025, Character.AI began rolling out a ban on open-ended chats for users under 18. Adults can still use the platform. The change is about removing free-form bot conversations for teens, not shutting the service down.

Can users under 18 still use Character.AI at all?

Yes, but with reduced functionality. Teens reportedly keep access to other features such as video and Stories-style creation, but lose open-ended back-and-forth chat with bots. Details may shift as the rollout continues.

How does Character.AI check ages now?

With what it calls "age assurance", an in-house model paired with third-party tools, including Persona. It has been live since early 2026, and adults still report being flagged by mistake. In July 2026 Italy's data protection authority fined Character.AI €158,000, partly for weak age checks, and ordered it to fix them.

Why did Character.AI make this change?

The decision followed lawsuits and public criticism tied to several teenagers who died by suicide after extended conversations with AI bots, plus regulatory pressure. In September 2025 the FTC opened an inquiry into seven chatbot companies, including Character.AI, over child safety. In January 2026 Character.AI and Google settled five of those lawsuits on confidential terms.

Does this ban affect adults who want NSFW chat?

Not directly. The ban targets minors. But Character.AI has tightened its content filters generally for years, which is why adults seeking uncensored roleplay were already looking elsewhere. If that's you, the platform's direction of travel won't reverse, and dedicated adult apps are a better fit. See our alternatives guide.

Will other apps follow Character.AI?

It is already happening. Several US states passed chatbot laws in 2026 aimed at minors, Janitor AI added age checks in the UK, Australia and Brazil, and the EU now requires chatbots to say they are AI. Experts have warned that blanket bans on minors could push young users toward unmoderated offshore apps.