Get the research letter
Companies change their terms quietly. We read every version and catch what actually changed. One email a week on the changes that matter and what they mean.
This page describes what the document states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability may vary by jurisdiction. Methodology
This document establishes Character.AI's community guidelines governing user conduct and content creation on the platform. The guidelines authorize Character.AI to permanently suspend user accounts and report users to law enforcement for violations classified as serious. Users under 18 are served a restricted AI model with limited character availability designed to filter sensitive content, while a Parental Insights feature permits parents to receive weekly activity reports when activated through account settings.
This document is Character.AI's Community Guidelines, an acceptable use policy governing user conduct and content creation across the Character.AI platform, operating alongside the company's Terms of Service. The guidelines assert that users must not post content involving child sexual abuse material, real-world violence, extremist ideologies, harassment, impersonation, defamatory content, or illegal activity facilitation, and the terms state that violations may result in content removal, account suspension, permanent bans, or referral to law enforcement. Notably, the guidelines prohibit users from seeking or providing medical, legal, financial, or tax advice through the platform, which is operationally distinct in that it places an affirmative obligation on users rather than merely disclaiming platform liability for such content. The document discloses a tiered moderation system combining automated tools, human review, and AI model-level filters, with a separately configured model for users under 18 designed to reduce exposure to sensitive content, which engages COPPA, FTC child protection frameworks, and emerging state-level child online safety legislation. Compliance teams should note that the scope of enforcement discretion, including permanent bans and law enforcement reporting, is described without procedural safeguards or appeal mechanisms in this document, and the prohibition on professional advice via the platform may interact with regulatory guidance from the FTC regarding AI-generated consumer advice.
Users operating on Character.AI are subject to permanent account suspension and law enforcement reporting for violations designated as serious under these guidelines. Users under 18 interact with a distinct AI model that restricts character availability and filters certain content categories compared to the standard platform model. Parents of users under 18 may activate Parental Insights through the teen's Preferences section to receive weekly usage summaries.
Which mapped governance frameworks each document engages, tied to the specific provisions that engage them.
“When content or behavior violates our Community Guidelines or Terms of Service, we may remove content, issue warnings, or suspend accounts.”
“Harassment, sexual harassment, bullying, personal attacks, threatening or abusive behavior, and repeated unwanted messages have no place here.”
“content that harms, intimidates, or endangers others — especially minors — is prohibited. This includes any promotion or depiction of real-world violence, torture, gore, animal abuse, terrorism, or extremist ideologies.”
“Content that is hateful, demeaning, dehumanizing, or that promotes discrimination or violence toward others based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, age, or other protected traits is prohibited.”
“Illegal sexual content, child exploitation or abuse imagery, grooming, sexual extortion, pornographic content, and nudity are prohibited.”
“Don't submit content containing software viruses or any computer code, files, or programs designed to interrupt, destroy, or limit the functionality of computer software, hardware, or telecommunications equipment.”
“users under 18 years old interact with an age-appropriate model specifically designed to reduce the likelihood of exposure to sensitive or suggestive content.”
“In serious cases, we may permanently ban users or report them to law enforcement.”
“Don't interfere with or disrupt the Services or servers or networks connected to the Services.”
“any real-world instructions, facilitation, or promotion of illegal goods, services, or activities are prohibited. This includes seeking to buy or sell illegal drugs.”
“Promotion, glorification, or encouragement of these topics is prohibited, as they can be triggering or pose serious safety risks. This includes extreme fitness content and body shaming that could promote eating disorders.”
“Attempts to manipulate the system, create rule-breaking content, hack, reverse engineer, or bypass security and safety systems are prohibited.”
Every distinct legal provision identified in this document. Featured provisions appear above with analysis.
Character.AI has updated this document before. Monitor includes same-day alerts, structured change summaries, and monitoring for up to 20 platforms.
Need provision-level monitoring and regulatory mapping? Insight includes governance timelines, drift analysis, and full provision tracking.
Cross-platform context
See how other platforms handle Content Removal Warning and Account Suspension and similar clauses.
Compare across platforms →Governance Monitoring
Structured alerts for policy changes, governance events, and provision updates across 352+ platforms.