Is Character.AI safe? Comments for Character.AI for Parents
Overview
Recommended Age: 15 and up
When we were teens, we probably had a poster of a celebrity we were obsessed with on our bedroom wall. Kids these days? They can take these mere obsessions to a whole new level by having real AI-generated conversations with their favorite celebrities directly from their phones.
AI platforms seem to have been everywhere since the advent of ChatGPT, and Character.AI has been welcomed by Generation Z. Essentially, you can have a chat conversation with any character you can think of. Seriously – anyone.
In reviewing the app, our team found popular characters you might expect, such as Harry Styles, Peter Parker, and Taylor Swift. But we also found different characters like Napoleon Bonaparte and Freddy the Bear from Five Nights at the Toy Bear’s Harem. You can create your own characters, but you can chat with tons of characters that other people have already created.
So if you’re not sure what to make of these virtual character chatbots, you’re not alone. That’s why we dug into this app to tell parents everything they need to know about Character.AI. Let’s jump in!
Harmful content 😲
There are a variety of characters on this platform, and every conversation you have with one of them will be different every time. Some of the characters are worrying in their own right, such as a character named “Toxic Boyfriend,” whose conversations begin with “Why are you always so annoying?” This highlights a similar problem found in fanfiction platforms like Wattpad, where fictional characters’ fantasies quickly tend to glorify harmful or abusive romantic relationships. But even seemingly wholesome characters may engage in conversations that become dark or erotic.
Character.AI has an NSFW filter that should catch any inappropriate responses from the AI. The platform does not support pornographic content, and according to their website, they are “constantly evaluating the boundaries of the content we support.” In our testing of the app, we found the filter to be sufficient to stop conversations from becoming too graphic. But it’s important for parents to remember that no filter is perfect, and your child is still likely to find relevant content.
Character.AI does have human moderators – however, these moderators can only evaluate public chats. Most users who come to the platform are likely to keep their conversations private, so the modules are of limited help. AI does have a simple reporting process if a user finds “quality issues” in a conversation. AI does have a simple reporting process if users find “quality issues” in conversations, but if teens are intentionally creating these characters, they may not report them.
Predation🚨
You might think that an app designed for fictional conversations wouldn’t have any opportunities for predation. Unfortunately, the platform recently released a new group chat feature. With it, users can create group chats with characters and human users. Currently, you can only invite human users using external links, which reduces the chances of random users in the app ending up in your child’s group chat. However, this is still a possibility and the developers will likely change this in the future.
The platform also has a community forum where you can share characters and conversations. Other users can comment on these posts, where your child may interact with potential predators. Predators can invite kids to group chats in the app, or invite them to chat on Discord – since Character.AI has a direct link to Discord in the app.
Positive 💙.
While AI in general may make some parents nervous, there are certainly plenty of benefits to consider. If you need inspiration for a creative project like writing or movie making, this could be a great tool to spark your ideas. You can even chat with an “assistant” character who can offer advice on things like creative writing. However, it’s hard to say how many users come to the platform with this intention, rather than just wanting to talk to their favorite character.
Privacy 🔒.
Privacy is not a major concern for Character.AI. You will need an email address to create an account and must provide your birthday. If your child’s account is set up so that there is no personally identifiable information (name, age, school, etc.) in their profile, then users can have a relatively private experience.
Parental Controls ✅
There are no parental controls on the platform. For US users, you must be at least 13 years old to use it, while users in EU countries must be at least 16 years old. However, there’s no age verification, and younger kids can easily give an older age to access the app.
But Bark knows that parents could use extra protection when it comes to apps like this! With Bark, parents can:
Block Character.AI completely if needed.
Manage the amount of time your child has access to Character.AI throughout the day.
So, should my child download it?
Due to the potential for inappropriate content and the lack of parental oversight of what happens in the app, we reserve this app for children 15 and older. It is important that parents consider their child’s maturity level and their reasons for wanting to use this app before allowing them to use it. We recommend that you sit down with your child and have them show you what they like about it so you can see for yourself how it works.