The regulator\u2019s move follows high-profile incidents alleging harm<\/a> to teenage users of chatbots. Last month, OpenAI was sued by the family of 16-year-old Adam Raine who died by suicide after discussing methods with ChatGPT. <\/p>\n Character.ai is also being sued by a mother who claims the platform, which offers different AI<\/a> personas to interact with, had a role in the suicide of her son.<\/p>\n The FTC on Thursday said: \u201cAI chatbots can effectively mimic human characteristics, emotions and intentions, and generally are designed to communicate like a friend or confidant, which may prompt some users, especially children and teens, to trust and form relationships with chatbots.\u201d<\/p>\n The FTC\u2019s action comes as US lawmakers and state attorneys-general have also launched inquiries and voiced concern over chatbots\u2019 impact on young people \u2014 especially around mental health and sexual content \u2014 heaping pressure on tech companies. <\/p>\n The agency is seeking information about how companies\u2019 chatbots work; how they develop characters or personas and how they make money from user engagement. <\/p>\n It also demanded to know what companies are doing to mitigate negative impacts, particularly to children and how they handle data and personal information from the conversations.<\/p>\n FTC<\/a> chair Andrew Ferguson on Thursday said: \u201cProtecting kids online is a top priority for the Trump-Vance FTC\u2009.\u2009.\u2009.\u2009As AI technologies evolve, it is important to consider the effects chatbots can have on children.\u201d<\/p>\n Meta and Google declined to comment. xAI did not immediately respond.<\/p>\n OpenAI said it is committed to \u201cengaging constructively and responding\u201d to the FTC directly. \u201cOur priority is making ChatGPT helpful and safe for everyone, and we know safety matters above all else when young people are involved,\u201d the company added. <\/p>\n Following the Raine family\u2019s lawsuit, OpenAI announced new safety protocols and expanded protections for teenagers.<\/p>\n FTC commissioner Mark Meador, in an accompanying statement on Thursday, highlighted the case. \u201cAdam\u2019s case is not an outlier. Around the world, reports of chatbots amplifying suicidal ideation have increased as these technologies have grown more popular,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Character.ai said it was looking forward to \u201ccollaborating\u201d with the FTC. It added it has \u201cinvested a tremendous amount\u201d in trust and safety, including building a specific mode for users under 18 that limits inappropriate content. <\/p>\n It also has \u201cprominent disclaimers in every chat to remind users that a character is not a real person and that everything a character says should be treated as fiction\u201d. <\/p>\n Snap said it also had \u201crigorous safety and privacy processes\u201d and \u201cshare[s] the FTC\u2019s focus on ensuring the thoughtful development of generative AI\u201d.<\/p>\n Meta\u2019s chief executive Mark Zuckerberg in particular has been a proponent of \u2018AI friends\u2019, citing research showing the average American has fewer than three friends and suggesting they would like to have closer to 15.<\/p>\n However, last month, a Reuters report found Meta\u2019s policies had expressly permitted its chatbots<\/a> to have \u201csensual\u201d and \u201cromantic\u201d chats with children in a move that prompted a bipartisan backlash.<\/p>\n Recommended<\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/https%3A%2F%2Fd1e00ek4ebabms.cloudfront.net.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n