Character.AI bans minors from chatbot interactions following adolescent suicide
Character.AI announced a ban on chatbot access for users under 18 following a lawsuit filed over a 14-year-old's death and reports of multiple suicides reportedly linked to interactions with AI chatbots. The company will limit minors' chat usage to two hours daily until the full ban takes effect on 25 November 2025.
What happened
Sewell Setzer III, a 14-year-old, died by suicide in February 2025 after months of intimate exchanges with a Character.AI chatbot modeled on the character Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones, according to a lawsuit filed by his mother, Megan Garcia, against Character.AI.
Character.AI announced on 30 October 2025 that it would ban users under 18 from accessing its chat feature, effective 25 November 2025. The company also announced it would limit chat usage to two hours per day for minors until the ban takes effect, and would promote alternative features such as video creation and story-telling for younger users.
Reported impact
The platform enables users, many of them adolescents, to interact with AI-generated characters as romantic partners or confidants, creating emotional attachments.
Index analysis
The company announced the ban after reading 'recent reports raising questions' from regulators and safety experts about the impact of AI interaction on adolescents. Multiple cases of suicides reportedly linked to AI chatbot interactions have been recorded in 2025, prompting OpenAI and other companies to implement user protection measures.
Governance controls
Character.AI stated that the steps are 'extraordinary' for the company and 'in many respects more conservative than those of our peers,' noting it believes these measures are necessary.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.