Character.AI

Known Risks

• Highest anthropomorphization risk — characters designed to simulate personality
• Emotional dependency patterns documented in research
• Romantic/relationship roleplay with AI characters
• Vulnerable teens may prefer AI companions to human relationships

Safety Features

• Teen mode limits some content
• Notification after extended sessions
• Crisis detection for some topics

Parent Actions

• Monitor daily usage time — emotional dependency correlates with high usage
• Discuss the nature of AI — "These characters are code following rules, they do not care about you"
• Set strict daily time limits
• Watch for: withdrawal from friends, distress when unable to access, preferring AI to human interaction