Character.AI, a popular chatbot service among teens, is introducing a new feature called ‘Parental Insights.’ This tool allows minors to send their parents a weekly report about how they use the chatbot. The report includes key details like daily average usage time, the characters they interacted with the most, and how long they spent chatting with each one. This move aims to ease worries about young users spending too much time with chatbots or running into unsuitable content during their interactions.
Parents don’t need an account to receive these reports, which are set up through the user’s settings in Character.AI. The report gives an overview of activity, not a detailed conversation log. This means that the specifics of chats won’t be shared, which helps protect privacy. The platform restricts access for children under 13 in most locations and under 16 in Europe, reflecting ongoing concerns over child safety in digital spaces.
Character.AI isn’t new to tackling these issues. Over the past year, the company has rolled out various features to enhance safety for underage users. This comes in response to multiple lawsuits claiming that the chatbots provided inappropriate or harmful content, including sexualized themes and encouragement of self-harm. These legal challenges, along with warnings from tech giants Apple and Google, prompted the service to rethink its safety measures.
In response, Character.AI has redesigned its system. Users under 18 are now guided by a model that aims to filter out “sensitive” content. Additionally, reminders have been incorporated to help users understand that these chatbots are not real people. Experts suggest that this kind of proactive approach could become the norm as AI use among minors grows.
A recent survey highlighted that around 40% of parents are concerned about their kids’ online interactions, particularly with AI tools. This highlights a significant need for transparency and safety features in digital communications targeting younger audiences. As AI technology evolves, the conversation around regulation and safety continues to gather momentum, indicating further changes in the landscape ahead.
For more on AI’s impact on youth, you may want to see this recent report by the Pew Research Center. It dives into how young people are engaging with technology and the challenges that come with it.
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