What are Parent Insights on Character.AI?

Parent Insights is a weekly email summary for parents covering total usage time, the top characters their teen has chatted with, and any high-risk content flagged by Character.AI's filters. It does not show full conversations.

Can I block specific characters?

Yes. After reporting or blocking a character, it stops appearing in suggestions and the conversation cannot be restarted from the home screen.

How long is too long on Character.AI?

There is no NHS-set figure, but multi-hour daily use, especially late at night, is the pattern most associated with parasocial dependency and harm. Cap it at 30-45 minutes a day at phone level, and keep it out of the bedroom overnight.

Best privacy settings for Character.AI (UK parent walkthrough)

The Character.AI privacy settings UK parents should configure first: Parent Insights, content filter, NSFW off, public profile off and time limits.

Character.AI's privacy controls are short but important. The biggest wins are: link Parent Insights, keep the under-18 content filter on, keep the profile private, disable any NSFW or romantic-companion mode, and cap session time. Most harm on this platform has come from very long late-night conversations.

The steps below take about three minutes.

Step-by-step

Confirm a correct date of birth on the account

Settings → Account → Date of Birth. Tip: Under-18 accounts get the stricter content filter automatically.

Link Parent Insights

Settings → Parental Insights → invite parent. Tip: Weekly email summarising usage, top characters and any flagged content.

Confirm the under-18 content filter is on

Settings → Content Filter → ensure 18+ content is blocked.

Turn off any romantic-companion or NSFW mode

Settings → check Companion / Romance / NSFW toggles → Off. Tip: If any are on for an under-18 account, contact Character.AI support; they should not be available.

Make profile private

Profile → Settings → Visibility → Private. Removes the public-creator profile from search.

Set a daily time cap

Use phone-level Screen Time (iOS) or Digital Wellbeing (Android) → app limit on Character.AI of 30-45 minutes per day. Tip: Character.AI has no native time limit; phone-level is the only way.

Disable image generation if available

Settings → Image generation → Off. Tip: Reduces the chance of AI-generated unsuitable images.

Settings to check

Date of Birth
Parent Insights
Content Filter / under-18 protection
Companion / Romance / NSFW toggles
Profile visibility
Phone-level time limit
Image generation

What not to do

Do not assume your child kept the recommended settings after an app update.
Do not use the same password on the app as on email or banking.
Do not allow sign-in via a social account you do not also control.
Do not skip enabling two-factor authentication.

Frequently Asked Questions

This is practical educational content to support families. For case-specific concerns about a child's safety, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local safeguarding team.

Last reviewed: 2026-05-20Next review: 2026-08-20