Comment by The Jed Foundation

Do not deploy AI companions to minors. No emotionally responsive chatbot should be offered to anyone under 18. Companion AIs that impersonate people or simulate friendship, romance, or therapy are unsafe for adolescents. They delay help-seeking, undermine real human and family relationships, and create false intimacy. AI must make its identity explicit with repeated reminders that it is not human. [...] Age gates cannot rest on self-reported birthdays, and should instead use privacy-preserving, credible methods that build trust and keep minors out of unsafe environments. Unverified source (2025)