Google-Backed Character.AI Launches New Parental Controls After Backlash

Google-backed startup Character.AI has announced a new feature, where parents will be informed about their kids’ activities on the AI bot platform. The move comes amid the ongoing backlash against the platform for allegedly failing to protect underage users from harm.

Character.AI is an AI platform which allows users to create characters with whom they can interact. The move is aimed at offering a more personalised user experience. Notably, the company is facing many lawsuits related to alleged child safety violations.

The new feature launched by the platform is called ‘Parental Insights’. Through the feature, parents will receive a weekly report of their kids’ chatbot usage on their email IDs. The details will include average screen time and what portion of that time kids are dedicating to specific bots.

It will not include details about content of the chats, according to a report by the Verge. With this feature, the platform seeks to address concerns about its minor users encountering inappropriate content during chats.

The weekly report will be an optional feature, which can be activated through changes in the Character.AI account’s settings. For this, the parents need not have their account on the platform.

Outlining the focus of the feature, Character.AI said that it aims to provide an overview to the parents and not a log. Hence, the contents of chatbot conversations won’t be shared. As part of the safety measures, the platform restricts access for children under 13 years old in most regions and under 16 years old in Europe.

The California-based startup is led by Character Technologies Inc., founded by former Google employees Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas. The platform’s widespread popularity, especially among younger users, is largely credited to its service of offering virtual versions of celebrities like Billie Eilish and popular anime characters for interaction. 

Users can also create their own personal AI characters. The platform is free to use, but there is a virtual queue to access the bots. To skip it, the company also offers a subscription based model.