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If you are worried about your teen, you can call or text 988. ChatGPT offers parental controls, and Character.AI says it ended open chat for users under 18.
Updated Oct 5, 202644 sources
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Updated Oct 5, 202644 sources
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Federal Trade Commission · Federal consumer protection agency; 6(b) orders on AI companion chatbots
Finding: Issued orders to seven companies seeking information on how they measure, test and monitor negative impacts of companion chatbots on children and teens, as a study without a specific law enforcement purpose.
FTC press release: FTC Launches Inquiry into AI Chatbots Acting as Companions (Sept. 11, 2025) (opens in a new tab) · Sep 11, 2025 · Checked Oct 5, 2026
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Call, text or chat 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can reach out when you are worried about a loved one, not only for yourself. It is free and open 24/7.
You do not need to give personal details or insurance to get support from 988, according to SAMHSA, a federal health agency.
OpenAI says a parent can link to a teen’s account and manage its settings. It says parents can set quiet hours, turn off memory and opt out of model training. Linked teen accounts also get added content limits, it says.
To start, a parent sends an invite and the teen accepts it. If the teen later unlinks the account, OpenAI says the parent is told.
OpenAI says linked teen accounts get less graphic content, fewer viral challenges and less sexual, romantic or violent role play. It also says its guardrails are not foolproof and can be bypassed.
OpenAI has said that when it is unsure of a user’s age, it will apply teen settings.
OpenAI says a small trained team looks at cases where its systems spot possible harm. If a linked teen shows signs of acute distress, it says it will contact the parent by email, text and phone alert. Parents can opt out. It says it shares only what is needed for safety.
In July 2026, OpenAI said it is expanding these alerts to more situations where a teen may need adult support.
These are the company’s statements. We have not seen an outside review of how well the alerts work.
Character.AI says it ended open-ended chat with its characters for users under 18 in late 2025. It said this would start in the U.S. on November 24, 2025. It says it uses its own age tools along with tools from other companies.
Before that, it limited daily chat time for U.S. teens, starting at two hours and lowering it to one hour.
In 2024, it said it was building a separate model for teen users. It also described an hour-long session notice and a pop-up that points users to a suicide prevention line.
In September 2026, it said its safeguards look at signals that build up over long chats, not just one message.
Character.AI has a tool called Parental Insights. A teen can add a parent’s email to send a weekly report. It shows daily average time and the characters used most. In March 2025, the company said it does not show what was said in chats.
Character.AI said in 2025 that it emailed parents who used Parental Insights before the under-18 change.
A 2025 California law, SB 243, sets rules for companion chatbots. Companies must have a plan to stop suicide and self-harm content and to point users to crisis lines. If they know a user is a minor, they must tell the user the chatbot is AI.
For known minors, operators must also remind them at least every three hours to take a break and that the chatbot is not human. They must take reasonable steps to keep the chatbot from producing sexual images for minors.
Operators must also disclose that companion chatbots may not be suitable for some minors.
The law defines a companion chatbot as an AI system that gives human-like replies and can meet a user’s social needs. Whether a given app fits that definition may be disputed.
A federal law, COPPA, covers children under 13. It requires covered sites and apps to tell parents and get their consent before collecting a child’s personal information online, with limited exceptions.
In September 2025, the Federal Trade Commission ordered seven chatbot companies to explain how they test and monitor harms to children and teens. It asked how they make money from user engagement and use what users share in chats. The FTC called it a study, not an enforcement case.
Your family’s safety comes first. 988 can support you through hard moments, at any hour. When you are ready, a lawyer can explain your options. Our records page explains how to keep chats safe without reading them.
In California, a contract that pays a lawyer a share of what you recover must be in writing, with a signed copy for you.
The review is free and private. Asking for it doesn’t commit you to anything.
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