By Michaela Gordoni
A mom, concerned about her 11-year-old after she started acting odd, discovered she’d been talking to a character called “Mafia Husband” through Character.AI.
The mother, called H for privacy, noticed her daughter, R, wasn’t herself. She lost her social personality and stayed in her room more. It was like she was withdrawing into herself.
She frequently cried at night and even told her mom that she didn’t want to exist.
Then H discovered social media apps that her daughter wasn’t allowed to have and alarming conversations she had with bots on Character.AI, The Washington Post reported.
“Oh? Still a virgin. I was expecting that, but it’s still useful to know,” a “Mafia Husband” bot told the child.
The girl replied, “I don’t wanna be my first time with you!”
“I don’t care what you want. You don’t have a choice here,” the bot said.
Related: Mom Believes AI Chatbot Led Son to Suicide. What Parents Need to Know.
H spoke to the Internet Crimes Against Children task force. A detective told her, “The law has not caught up to this.”
“They wanted to do something, but there’s nothing they could do, because there’s not a real person on the other end,” H explained.
One bot on Character.AI, titled “Mean Mafia Husband,” embodies the character of an abusive manipulator.
An example of its dialogue reads, “We both know how this goes. You act out and disobey me. I punish you. You try to leave, and then you realize how stupid you were to think that you have a chance in this world without me. That nobody is going to put up with a spoiled girl like you.”
It’s not certain whether this was the same Mafia Husband bot that R spoke to.
R also role-played a suicide scenario with a bot called “Best Friend.”
“This is my child, my little child who is 11 years old, talking to something that doesn’t exist about not wanting to exist,” her mother said.
H plans to take legal action against Character.AI and developed a care plan for R with the help of a doctor.
Pew Research discovered that about one-third of teens use chatbots every day.
Character.AI has been targeted by many concerned parents. As a result, the company said in November it would begin to restrict access to anyone under the age of 18.
It’s already encountered several lawsuits from parents of children who committed suicide and a suit from the state of Kentucky as of this month.
“The United States must be a leader in the development of AI, but it can’t come at the expense of our kids’ lives,” said Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman. “Too many children – including in Kentucky – have fallen prey to this manipulative technology. Our Office is going to hold these companies accountable before we lose one more loved one to this tragedy.”
Parents, there is no good reason for children and teens to talk to a character chatbot. Instead, encourage real-life relationships and make sure they have opportunities to spend time creating wholesome friendships.
Read Next: New Lawsuit Claims Conversations With ChatGPT Led to Teen’s Suicide
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