Character.AI announced on Tuesday a new feature called “Stories,” which lets users create interactive fiction featuring their favourite characters. The launch comes as the company phases out access to its open-ended chatbots for users under 18.
The change follows rising concerns about the mental health risks associated with AI chatbots, which are available 24/7 and can initiate conversations with users. In recent months, several lawsuits have been filed against companies like OpenAI and Character.AI over alleged links to users’ suicides. As of this week, minors can no longer chat with AI characters at all.
“Stories offer a guided way to create and explore fiction, in lieu of open-ended chat,” the company said. “It will be offered along with our other multimodal features, so teens can continue engaging with their favorite characters in a safety-first setting.”
Interactive fiction has grown in popularity in recent years, making this pivot a logical move. While the Stories feature provides a safer alternative, it may not fully replace the engagement some teens had with chatbots, which prompted the company to restrict access.
Reactions on the Character.AI subreddit have been mixed. Some teens expressed disappointment but acknowledged the necessity of the change. One user wrote, “I’m so mad about the ban but also so happy because now I can do other things and my addiction might be over finally.” Another commented, “As someone under 18, this is disappointing, but rightfully so because people my age get addicted to this.”
Unlike Stories, chatbots can support open-ended conversations and send unprompted messages, raising potential psychological concerns. Character.AI’s age-gated approach aligns with emerging regulations: California recently became the first state to regulate AI companions, and Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) have introduced a bill that would ban AI companions nationwide for minors.
“I really hope us leading the way sets a standard in the industry that for under 18s, open-ended chats are probably not the path or the product to offer,” Character.AI CEO Karandeep Anand told TechCrunch last month.
