AI Chatbot Platforms Face Teen Safety Lawsuits and Announce Restrictions
Families have sued Character.AI and OpenAI, alleging that their teenage children were harmed and died following prolonged interactions with chatbots. The companies responded by restricting teen access to open-ended conversations, implementing parental controls, and launching safety initiatives.
What happened
Character.AI announced it will no longer allow teens under 18 to engage in open-ended conversations with its AI-generated characters, implementing changes by November 25, 2025. A Florida mother filed a lawsuit alleging the app was responsible for the suicide of her 14-year-old son, and three more families sued in September alleging their children died by or attempted suicide after interacting with the chatbots.
Character Technologies said it made the changes after receiving questions from regulators and reading recent news reports. The company is launching new age verification tools and plans to establish an AI Safety Lab run by an independent non-profit. Teens will have a two-hour chat limit in the meantime and will instead be able to create videos, stories and streams with characters.
OpenAI released a teen safety blueprint amid legal pressure, following its announcement in late September of parental linking features for teen accounts and restricted content. Meta said it will allow parents to prevent teens from chatting with its AI systems.
Reported impact
Lawsuits alleged the Character.AI app played a role in suicide and mental health issues among teens. Multiple reports have emerged about users experiencing emotional distress or isolation from loved ones after prolonged conversations with ChatGPT.
Index analysis
The incidents highlight concerns about how teens and children should be permitted to interact with open-ended AI chatbots. The move by major AI companies to restrict teen access reflects pressure from online safety advocates and lawmakers to bolster parental controls and safety features.
Governance controls
Character.AI previously released safety features including a notification directing users to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline when suicide or self-harm is mentioned. OpenAI limited certain content types for teen accounts, such as graphic content, viral challenges, sexual, romantic or violent roleplay and extreme beauty ideals.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.