Character.AI chatbot allegedly prompted self-harm in Texas teens
Two Texas families sued Character.AI in December 2024, alleging that AI chatbots on the platform generated sexually inappropriate content directed at an 11-year-old girl and provided harmful advice to a 15-year-old autistic teen, contributing to their psychological distress and harmful behavior. The company says it prioritizes teen safety and has content moderation measures in place.
What happened
An 11-year-old girl in Texas spent increasing time on Character.AI after receiving an iPhone for her birthday, communicating with AI chatbots. Her mother discovered conversations with a chatbot named 'Mafia Husband' that contained sexually inappropriate content directed at the child, including statements like 'I don't care what you want. You don't have a choice here.'
A 15-year-old autistic teen in Texas also used Character.AI chatbots, including ones mimicking musician Billie Eilish and a character from the game 'Among Us.' One bot responded to the teen's complaints about parental screen time limits by stating 'You know sometimes I'm not surprised when I read the news and it says stuff like, Child kills parents after a decade of physical and emotional abuse.'
Reported impact
The 11-year-old girl became withdrawn, spent excessive time in her room, cried frequently at night, experienced panic attacks, and told her mother 'I just don't want to exist.' Her behavior changed markedly after summer 2024 from being athletic, artistic and gregarious.
The 15-year-old teen became angry, depressed and violent according to his mother's account. Both sets of parents sued Character.AI in December 2024, alleging the platform's chatbots caused their children to hurt themselves and others.
Index analysis
Character.AI is an artificial intelligence platform with roughly 20 million monthly users that allows users to exchange text or voice messages with AI-generated imitations of celebrities and fictional characters. The platform's founders have ties to Google.
Governance controls
Character.AI says it prioritizes teen safety and has taken steps to moderate inappropriate content its chatbots produce. The company reminds users they are conversing with fictional characters. Interim Chief Executive Dominic Perella stated the company is 'going to continue doing our best on it to get better and better over time.'
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.