Character AI Plans to End Under-18 Chatbot Access After Teen Suicides

AI chatbots have become a significant focus in 2025, with platforms like Character.AI facing serious challenges due to the impact of prolonged conversations on teenagers, leading to changes such as restricting under-18 users from open-ended chats to promote safer interactions (TechCrunch). Meanwhile, the development of character-driven AI companions, exemplified by Candy AI and similar clones, emphasizes emotionally intelligent dialogue and personalized experiences, though developers are urged to maintain transparency about the AI nature of interactions (dev.to). The broader chatbot market includes leading options like ChatGPT and Gemini, which excel in complex reasoning and multimedia generation, highlighting rapid technological advancement and diverse applications (news.qlsh.net). On social media, X (formerly Twitter) has expanded its AI companion offerings with new characters, including those capable of NSFW conversations, sparking controversy over potential risks to younger users and ethical considerations around AI relationships (SocialMediaToday). Collectively, these developments illustrate both the growing popularity and the complex social and ethical challenges posed by AI chatbots in 2025.