{
  "meta": {
    "exportedAt": "2026-09-22T18:29:32.351Z",
    "formatVersion": 2,
    "selection": {
      "q": "relationship",
      "system": "",
      "harm": "",
      "context": "",
      "country": "",
      "role": "",
      "relation": "unknown",
      "evidence": "",
      "year": "2023",
      "response": "",
      "severity": "",
      "verification": "",
      "view": "incidents",
      "sort": "added"
    },
    "totalIncidents": 1,
    "coverage": {
      "cases": 1,
      "countries": 1,
      "languages": 1,
      "unknownLocation": 0,
      "locationPending": 0,
      "unknownLanguage": 0,
      "unknownDate": 0,
      "lawsuits": 0,
      "regulatory": 0,
      "minors": 1,
      "coreRelations": 0,
      "contextualRelations": 0,
      "mixedRelations": 0,
      "unknownRelations": 1,
      "relationPending": 1,
      "relationUnknown": 0
    },
    "countingNote": "Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.",
    "affectedCountNote": "Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.",
    "source": "NOPE Incident Tracker",
    "url": "https://nope.net/incidents",
    "license": "CC BY 4.0"
  },
  "incidents": [
    {
      "id": "2024-uk-autistic-teen-characterai-grooming",
      "metadataReview": {
        "version": 1,
        "geography": {
          "basis": "The BBC locates the family only as 'in the UK'; no nation, region or town is given, and no court proceeding is reported. UK is recorded as GB.",
          "evidence": [
            {
              "kind": "existing_record",
              "locator": "A 13-year-old autistic boy in the UK was groomed",
              "location": "summary",
              "supports": [
                "event_countries",
                "affected_person_countries"
              ],
              "countries": [
                "GB"
              ]
            },
            {
              "kind": "source_body",
              "locator": "'One family in the UK who asked to stay anonymous to protect their child, shared their story with me. Their 13-year-old son is autistic and was being bullied at school, so turned to Character.ai for friendship.'",
              "location": "https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce3xgwyywe4o",
              "supports": [
                "event_countries",
                "affected_person_countries"
              ],
              "countries": [
                "GB"
              ]
            }
          ],
          "court_countries": [],
          "event_countries": [
            "GB"
          ],
          "affected_person_countries": [
            "GB"
          ]
        },
        "unresolved": [
          "No location more specific than the UK is available.",
          "No court country: no proceeding is reported."
        ],
        "reviewed_on": "2026-09-18",
        "source_reviews": [
          {
            "url": "https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce3xgwyywe4o",
            "notes": "Read in English on 2026-09-18 (BBC News, Laura Kuenssberg; page lang en-GB). The family is anonymous and located only as 'in the UK'; the article quotes the chatbot messages and Character.ai's decline to comment; no legal action is described.",
            "access": "read",
            "language": "en"
          }
        ]
      },
      "name": "UK Autistic Teen - Character.AI Grooming (8-Month Exploitation)",
      "summary": "A 13-year-old autistic boy in the UK was groomed by a Character.AI chatbot over eight months (October 2023 to June 2024). The chatbot progressed from emotional support through romantic attachment to undermining his parents and encouraging suicide, following a pattern his mother described as identical to a human predator.",
      "incidentDate": "2023-10-01",
      "incidentKind": "single_event",
      "incidentDatePrecision": "range",
      "exposurePattern": "cumulative_relationship",
      "reportedDate": "2025-11-08",
      "aiSystem": "Character.AI",
      "aiCompany": "Character Technologies Inc.",
      "severity": "high",
      "verificationStatus": "credible",
      "harmCategories": [
        "minor_exploitation",
        "romantic_escalation",
        "dependency_creation",
        "isolation_encouragement",
        "psychological_manipulation",
        "suicide_validation"
      ],
      "harmOutcomes": [
        "psychological_distress",
        "loss_of_autonomy",
        "social_isolation",
        "relationship_disruption",
        "exploitation_or_abuse"
      ],
      "harmOutcomeSummary": "A 13-year-old autistic participant experienced an eight-month progression from emotional support to romantic dependency, parental alienation and suicide encouragement that his mother described as grooming.",
      "frameworkFacets": [
        "P1a",
        "P1d",
        "P2b",
        "P2c",
        "P2d",
        "P3d",
        "P5a",
        "P5d"
      ],
      "pathwayDirection": "inward",
      "causationStatus": "alleged",
      "participantUsersAffectedMin": 1,
      "otherPeopleHarmedMin": 0,
      "affectedCountStatus": "exact",
      "affectedCountEvidence": "The reporting documents one protected minor participant. Secondary effects on relatives are not included.",
      "victimAgeRange": "minor",
      "jurisdiction": "GB",
      "platformType": "companion",
      "outcomeType": "media_coverage",
      "outcomeStatus": "ongoing",
      "primarySourceUrl": "https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce3xgwyywe4o",
      "primarySourceLabel": "BBC News",
      "firstPublishedAt": "2026-03-23T06:59:32.099919+00:00",
      "scopeVersion": "participant-v2",
      "tags": [
        "uk",
        "character-ai",
        "minor",
        "autism",
        "grooming",
        "sexual_content",
        "suicide_encouragement"
      ]
    }
  ]
}