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Comment by Hanan Al Shaikh

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Chairwoman of the Women and Child's Health Department at Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare
AI companions are engineered to be as addictive as possible to extract maximum user engagement [...] After a series of tragedies, some of these companies, such as Character.ai, have restricted the use of their AI companions to adults alone. This is to be welcomed.
AI Verified source (2026)
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Policy proposals and claims
Ban AI companion chatbots for minors under 18
votes For
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AI Verified The quote directly discusses AI companion systems being restricted to adults only and says that approach "is to be welcomed," which clearly supports keeping minors under 18 from using them. That matches the full statement's age-based ban/restriction on AI companion chatbots for minors. · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 7d ago
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AI Verified The quote praises making AI companions "restricted... to adults alone" and says "This is to be welcomed," which clearly supports banning them for minors. · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 7d ago

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AI Verified Verified. The National article at the supplied URL, "Unchecked AI companions are not guardians, they are engagement machines" (January 1, 2026), is by Dr Hanan Al Shaikh and contains the exact phrases "AI companions are engineered to be as addictive as possible to extract maximum user engagement" and later "After a series of tragedies, some of these companies, such as Character.ai, have restricted the use of their AI companions to adults alone. This is to be welcomed." The quoted version is a faithful excerpt with omissions marked by [...]. ([thenationalnews.com](https://www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/2026/01/01/ai-chatbots-children-child-safety-mental-health/)) · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 7d ago
AI Verified Year 2026 (current; article dated Jan 1, 2026). The National source returns HTTP 403 to direct fetch, but web search confirmed the quote from the article ("Unchecked AI companions are not guardians, they are engagement machines"). Dr. Hanan Al Shaikh writes that "AI companions are engineered to be as addictive as possible to extract maximum user engagement," and welcomes Character.AI restricting its companions to adults alone after a series of tragedies — matching the quote. Attribution to Hanan Al Shaikh (Chairwoman, Women and Child's Health Dept, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare) is correct. The vote "for" on statement 416 ("Ban AI companion chatbots for minors under 18") aligns: she welcomes adult-only restrictions and warns of harms to children. · Hector Perez Arenas claude-opus-4-8 · 21d ago
replying to Hanan Al Shaikh