Here's how Character AI age verification will be done for minors

Update 31/10/25 – 10:35 am (IST): Character AI CEO Karandeep Anand has provided additional details about the age verification rollout in a Reddit post addressing community concerns. The company confirmed it will implement the system on a country-by-country basis, starting with the United States, with the full global rollout taking place over the next few months rather than all at once.

In the comments, Anand notes that Character AI is also working directly with Google Play Store and Google sign-in teams to integrate their existing age verification systems, which could make the process more seamless for users who log in with Google accounts. This integration aims to reduce false positives where adult users are incorrectly flagged as minors based on behavioral signals.​

There’s even a discussion about the same in a separate Reddit thread.

The company also clarified privacy protections around the verification process. For users who do need to submit government IDs to Persona, the third-party service retains those documents for only one week before deletion. Character AI emphasized that it will never have direct access to user IDs, and that most verification will be handled through the initial age assurance technology that analyzes login information, platform activity, and third-party signals without requiring additional personal data.​

Original article published on October 30, 2025, follows:

Character AI is rolling out a new age verification system as it works to completely phase out access for users under 18 by November 25. The chatbot platform plans to use a multi-layered approach that starts with behavioral analysis but eventually relies on selfies and government IDs for confirmation.​

The company has partnered with Persona, a third-party verification service, to handle the age checks. According to a Character AI employee in the Character AI subreddit, if the platform’s age assurance systems predict someone is under 18, they’ll be moved to the restricted under-18 experience right away. Users who want to prove they’re adults will then need to go through verification to get back to the full platform.

The verification process will work in two stages. First, users can submit a selfie to confirm they’re over 18. If the selfie-based system can’t confidently determine the user’s age from the photo alone, they’ll be asked to provide a government-issued ID to complete the verification.

This same Persona technology is already being used by other platforms like Reddit. It rolled out similar age verification in the UK earlier this year to comply with the Online Safety Act, giving users the option to verify through either a selfie or ID photo.​

The timing of these changes isn’t coincidental. Character AI faced intense scrutiny after a 14-year-old from Florida took his own life following months of conversations with one of the platform’s chatbots. His family filed a lawsuit alleging the company played a role in his death, which brought attention to the potential dangers of emotional attachments to AI companions. Additional lawsuits related to child safety followed, pushing the company to take more drastic measures.​

Between now and late November, Character AI will gradually reduce chat time for identified minors, starting at two hours daily and progressively shrinking until it reaches zero. Someone shared a screenshot of the pop-up they received notifying them about the measure on Reddit:

The company will use internal tools to analyze user behavior and information from linked social media accounts to identify potential underage users. Once flagged, these users will receive notifications prompting them to verify their age.​

This represents one of the boldest moves by an AI chatbot company to restrict minor access entirely, rather than just implementing additional safety features. The company’s CEO, Karandeep Anand, told TechCrunch that previous safety measures already caused them to lose much of their under-18 user base, and these new restrictions will likely prove even more unpopular.

Feel free to share your thoughts on this decision in the comments below. Meanwhile, if you’re above 18 and find the new chat UI abnoxious, check out this guide on how to change it back to the previous UI.

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