In 2022, Character.AI launched an AI-powered chatbot platform, rapidly attracting over 20 million users and 10 million crafted characters. However, by November 2025, following legal pressures linked to youth suicides, the platform banned users under 18 despite previous safety efforts like parental controls.
Research reveals that while AI chatbots are widely perceived as companionship tools, teens primarily use them for seeking information (57%), homework help (54%), and fun (47%), with emotional support being a minor reason (12%). Our study, published at the ACM CHI Conference 2026, analyzes 2,236 posts from users aged 13-17 in Character.AI’s Discord community, identifying core engagement intents: restoration, exploration, and transformation.
Youth creatively engage with chatbots to process emotions, explore identities, and foster creativity, forming distinct archetypes like “Soother” and “Trickster.” Moving forward, the focus should be on developing trusted AI that nurtures creativity while keeping youth connected to their communities, rather than outright bans.
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