--- title: "Character.AI Under 18: What Changed and Where to Play" canonical: https://teasa.ai/en/guides/character-ai-under-18 updated: 2026-11-13 --- # Character.AI Under 18: What Changed, and Where Stories Still Work **Character.AI does not offer open-ended chat with its Characters to users under 18: accounts verified as under 18 are placed in Reading Mode, where they can browse, reread past chats and create, but cannot chat.** Character.AI announced the change on 29 October 2025 and began removing chat for under-18 users in the US on 24 November 2025, in two stages, with other markets following. Every user now completes an age check, and under-18 accounts keep creative features such as Stories, video creation, Imagine Chat, AvatarFX and the Feed. **Character.AI filed for Chapter 11 on 12 October 2026.** It keeps running while the company is sold, with the sale expected to finish by early December, and on 14 October 40 attorneys general asked the court to make any buyer keep protections for minors. [Is Character AI shutting down?](https://teasa.ai/en/guides/character-ai-shutting-down) explains what the sale means for your account and how to back up your chats and characters now. ## What changed for Character.AI accounts under 18 Character.AI announced the change on 29 October 2025: it would remove "the ability for users under 18 to engage in open-ended chat with AI on our platform," with the change taking effect "no later than November 25" ([Character.AI's announcement](https://blog.character.ai/u18-chat-announcement/)). Until then, under-18 chat time was capped, starting at two hours a day and ramping down. The same post announced new age assurance and an independent non-profit, the AI Safety Lab. Character.AI gave its reason in that post: it had seen news reports, and received questions from regulators, "about the content teens may encounter when chatting with AI and about how open-ended AI chat in general might affect teens, even when content controls work perfectly." A follow-up on 21 November 2025 set out the rollout ([Character.AI's update](https://blog.character.ai/an-update-on-changes-to-our-under-18-experience/)). Removal started on Monday 24 November for under-18 users in the US, "with other markets following in short order," and ran in two stages: - **First group.** Open-ended chat was removed over a period of days from 24 November 2025. - **Second group.** Removal followed "weeks after the first group." In between, these accounts kept a limited chat of at most one hour a day, and Character.AI promised at least two weeks' notice of their date. By then the US daily limit had come down from two hours to one. [TechCrunch covered the switch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/25/character-ai-will-offer-interactive-stories-to-kids-instead-of-open-ended-chat/) on 25 November 2025, and noted the lawsuits filed against Character.AI and other AI companies. Character.AI still stands by the decision: its 3 September 2026 safety update calls it "one of the most significant safety decisions we have ever made" ([Character.AI](https://blog.character.ai/continuing-to-build-upon-our-safety-priorities/)). ### Character.AI under 18 restrictions, in plain terms The restriction is specific: open-ended chat, the message-by-message conversation with any Character, is what under-18 accounts lost. It isn't the whole app. Here is how Character.AI decides who it applies to, as of October 2026: - **Every user completes age assurance.** Character.AI's Help Center says "All users are required to complete an age assurance check." Users verified as 18 or older keep full chat; users verified as under 18 are placed in the under-18 experience, where chat with characters is not available ([What is Age Assurance?](https://support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/53182286684059-What-is-Age-Assurance)). - **Persona runs the check.** Character.AI pairs its own age estimation model with Persona, a third-party identity provider that handles every age assurance attempt; Character.AI says it does not handle or store the documents submitted. The check starts from Settings, then Advanced, then Verify Age, on the web and in the app. - **Parents see screen time, not chats.** Parental Insights is optional: a teen invites a trusted adult, who sees how much time the teen spends in the app and when, through a dashboard called Family Connect, and cannot see messages or other content ([Parental Insights FAQ](https://support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/53815551510939-Parental-Insights-FAQ)). Character.AI added a weekly email update for connected parents through its partnership with k-ID. ## What a Character.AI under-18 experience still includes Character.AI calls it Reading Mode: "the experience for users who are verified as under 18," where "you can browse characters and view content on the platform, but chat features are not available" ([What is Reading Mode?](https://support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/51795669396763-What-is-Reading-Mode)). Its Help Center lists what under-18 accounts keep: - All past chats, saved and viewable. - Creating Characters, scenes and videos. - Imagine Chat and AvatarFX. - Feed activity: sending stickers, reacting and supporting creators. Character.AI's 3 September 2026 update adds c.ai Series, Feed and Comics to that experience, and Stories, launched in November 2025, remain available to under-18 accounts. ### What are Character.AI Stories? Stories launched on 25 November 2025 ([Character.AI's Stories announcement](https://blog.character.ai/introducing-stories-a-new-way-to-create-play-and-share-adventures-with-your-favorite-characters/)). You choose two or three Characters, pick a genre, then write a premise or have one generated. From there it's a guided narrative: you make frequent choices, each one steers the plot, and a Story can be replayed down a different branch or shared to the Feed. It's a structured, visual format, not the same thing as chatting freely with a Character turn by turn. ## What the Chapter 11 sale means for the under-18 rules On 12 October 2026 Character.AI filed for Chapter 11 to sell the company. Its announcement says the platform "remains up and running" and does not mention under-18 users ([Character.AI](https://blog.character.ai/an-update-on-character-ai/)). On 14 October, New York Attorney General Letitia James and 39 other attorneys general filed a notice in the case asking the court, Character.AI and any buyer to build protections for children into the sale, starting with "effective age verification based on more than self-disclosure." They describe the under-18 chat restriction as voluntary, say it can be circumvented, and warn that "a new owner could also reverse the voluntary restrictions" ([New York Attorney General](https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-urges-court-protect-children-and-consumers-characterai)). Character.AI's CEO, Colin Adams, said the filing "is not an accurate portrayal of the safety of our platform" ([The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/policy/1011417/new-york-ag-characterai-bankruptcy)). Florida's attorney general joined the notice on 20 October. As of 13 November 2026 the under-18 rules are unchanged and no buyer has been approved. Disney's $20 million opening bid is for a license to some of Character.AI's technology, not the app or its users' data. The court approved the bidding procedures on 4 November: bids are due on 24 November, the auction is on 1 December and the sale hearing is on 3 and 4 December ([case website](https://cases.stretto.com/chartech)). ## Interactive Stories beyond Character.AI **Teasa's Stories work the same way in spirit (pick a premise, make choices that matter), but built around a full authored cast, not just the Character you picked.** A Teasa Story opens with a scene already staged: a premise, a role for you, and a cast with something at stake before you type anything. Instead of choosing from a fixed branch list, you write your own dialogue and actions, and the cast responds to what you actually did. A Story can carry up to 20 quests with progress tracked in History, and up to 80 relationship milestones across its cast that track the moments you've actually earned with each character. Outside the Story, any Character is a direct message away, free and unlimited, about the story or something else entirely. Teasa's Stories play in English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and French. That's a different shape from Character.AI's Stories, which stay inside one branching plot with the Characters you picked at the start. Neither is a copy of the other: Character.AI's format is closer to a short, replayable branching scene; Teasa's Story is a longer authored world you write your own way through, with quests and relationship progress that persist as you play. | | Character.AI Stories | Teasa Stories | | --- | --- | --- | | How it starts | Pick 2–3 Characters and a genre, then a premise | Open an authored Story with a staged scene and a role for you | | How you move it forward | Make choices that steer the plot | Write your own dialogue or action in your own words | | Cast | The Characters you picked | A full authored cast with roles, relationships and stakes | | Progress you can track | Replay down another branch; share to Feed | Up to 20 quests and 80 relationship milestones per Story, tracked in History | | Talking to a Character outside the Story | Open-ended chat for accounts verified as 18 or older | Free, unlimited direct messages with any Character | Teasa's accounts follow its own Terms, which set a 13-plus age requirement, the same way any app states who can sign up. That's separate from Character.AI's rules for Character.AI's own platform; using Teasa doesn't change or route around what Character.AI allows on its app. ## Where to start with Teasa's Stories - [Fantasy stories](https://teasa.ai/en/tags/fantasy): full-cast worlds with a premise and real stakes from the first scene. - [Romance stories](https://teasa.ai/en/tags/romance): a relationship with an arc, not just a persona to open a chat with. - [Supernatural Romance stories](https://teasa.ai/en/tags/supernatural): vampires, demons and other-than-human leads with an authored arc. - [Isekai & Reincarnation stories](https://teasa.ai/en/tags/isekai): a new world to drop into with a role already waiting for you. A few actual Stories to try: [Sleeping in His Hoodie](https://teasa.ai/en/plots/1f89a111-4e06-482f-ae00-a409956bd73c/sleeping-in-his-hoodie), [Love Like Warm Udon](https://teasa.ai/en/plots/19a4fceb-98b5-45db-bb2b-f2baeda41aa6/love-like-warm-udon), and [The Tokyo Share House](https://teasa.ai/en/plots/57a21fb0-a3bb-483d-bd65-59f3b19c701d/the-tokyo-share-house). Browse [Teasa Characters](https://teasa.ai/en/characters) if you'd rather pick a cast member first, or see [pricing](https://teasa.ai/en/pricing) for what's free versus what Teasa Pass adds. If you're comparing Character.AI more broadly rather than just its Stories format, the full [Character.AI alternative guide](https://teasa.ai/en/guides/character-ai-alternative) covers character variety, moderation and memory, and [Character AI online](https://teasa.ai/en/guides/character-ai-online) covers its login, plans and apps. [See all AI roleplay apps compared](https://teasa.ai/en/guides/best-ai-roleplay-apps) for Teasa, Character.AI, Talkie, PolyBuzz and more side by side on story structure, memory, languages and free tier. ## FAQ ### What changed for Character.AI under 18? Character.AI removed open-ended chat, the free-form, message-by-message conversation with Characters, for users under 18. It announced the change on 29 October 2025 and began removing chat for US under-18 users on 24 November 2025, in two stages, with other markets following. Accounts verified as under 18 now use Reading Mode: they keep their past chats, creation tools, Stories and the Feed, but cannot chat. ### What are the Character.AI under-18 restrictions exactly? Accounts verified as under 18 cannot chat with Characters. Every user completes an age assurance check run with Persona; users verified as 18 or older keep full chat, and users verified as under 18 are placed in Reading Mode. Past chats, creating Characters, scenes and videos, Imagine Chat, AvatarFX, the Feed and Stories stay available. ### When did the Character.AI under-18 ban take effect? Character.AI began removing open-ended chat for a first group of US under-18 users on 24 November 2025, over a period of days. A second group followed weeks later, after at least two weeks' notice, and other markets followed the US. Before the removal, under-18 chat was limited to two hours a day, then one hour in the US. ### What is Reading Mode on Character.AI? Reading Mode is Character.AI's experience for users verified as under 18. They can browse characters and view content, reread all their past chats, create Characters, scenes and videos, use Imagine Chat and AvatarFX and take part in the Feed, but chat features are not available. ### How does Character.AI verify age? Character.AI requires every user to complete an age assurance check. It combines its own age estimation model with Persona, a third-party identity provider that handles the checks; Character.AI says it does not store the documents submitted. The check starts from Settings, then Advanced, then Verify Age. ### Can parents see a teen's Character.AI chats? No. Parental Insights is optional: a teen invites a trusted adult, who sees only how much time the teen spends in the app and when, through Family Connect. Connected parents cannot see messages or other content. ### What are Character.AI Stories? Stories are a guided, replayable format: pick two or three Characters and a genre, write or generate a premise, then make choices that steer the plot. A finished Story can be replayed down another branch or shared to the Feed. Character.AI launched Stories on 25 November 2025, alongside the under-18 chat change. ### Will the Chapter 11 sale change Character.AI's under-18 rules? Not as of 13 November 2026: the rules are unchanged and no buyer has been approved. On 14 October, 40 attorneys general asked the bankruptcy court to require protections for minors in any sale, including age verification based on more than self-disclosure, and warned that a new owner could reverse the voluntary chat restriction. Character.AI's CEO said their filing is not an accurate portrayal of the platform's safety. ### How are Teasa's Stories different from Character.AI Stories? Teasa's Stories are interactive worlds built around a full authored cast: a staged opening, your own dialogue and actions instead of picking from a branch list, up to 20 quests and up to 80 relationship milestones per Story, and free unlimited direct messages with any Character outside the scene. They play in English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and French, and Teasa's own accounts follow its Terms, which require users to be at least 13. ### Is Teasa a way around Character.AI's under-18 rules? No. Teasa is a separate app with its own Terms, including its own 13-plus age requirement for accounts. Playing Teasa's Stories doesn't change what Character.AI allows on Character.AI's platform. It's a different interactive Stories app with a different structure, described above. ## Sources Checked 21 October 2026; the sale timetable and the under-18 rules rechecked on 13 November 2026. - Character.AI blog: [Taking Bold Steps to Keep Teen Users Safe on Character.AI](https://blog.character.ai/u18-chat-announcement/), 29 October 2025; [An Update On Changes to Our Under-18 Experience](https://blog.character.ai/an-update-on-changes-to-our-under-18-experience/), 21 November 2025; [Introducing Stories](https://blog.character.ai/introducing-stories-a-new-way-to-create-play-and-share-adventures-with-your-favorite-characters/), 25 November 2025; [Continuing To Build Upon Our Safety Priorities](https://blog.character.ai/continuing-to-build-upon-our-safety-priorities/), 3 September 2026; [An update on Character.ai](https://blog.character.ai/an-update-on-character-ai/), 12 October 2026. - Character.AI Help Center: [What is Reading Mode?](https://support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/51795669396763-What-is-Reading-Mode), [What is Age Assurance?](https://support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/53182286684059-What-is-Age-Assurance), [Parental Insights FAQ](https://support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/53815551510939-Parental-Insights-FAQ) and [Important Changes for Teens on Character.ai](https://support.character.ai/hc/en-us/articles/42645561782555-Important-Changes-for-Teens-on-Character-ai). - New York Attorney General: [Attorney General James Urges Court to Protect Children and Consumers in Character.AI Bankruptcy](https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-urges-court-protect-children-and-consumers-characterai), 14 October 2026. - The Verge: [the attorneys general's filing and Character.AI's response](https://www.theverge.com/policy/1011417/new-york-ag-characterai-bankruptcy), 14 October 2026. - Stretto: [Character Technologies, Inc. case website](https://cases.stretto.com/chartech), Case No. 26-11603 (BLS), District of Delaware: the order approving the bidding procedures of 4 November 2026 (Docket No. 106) and the sale hearing on 3 and 4 December 2026. - TechCrunch: [Character.AI will offer interactive 'Stories' to kids instead of open-ended chat](https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/25/character-ai-will-offer-interactive-stories-to-kids-instead-of-open-ended-chat/), 25 November 2025.