First-person forum account: a poster who says they are a minor describes being unable to stop using Character.AI since 2023 and feeling disgust and embarrassment after each session
In a public post to r/antiai on 4 October 2026, a person who says they are still a minor writes that they have had what they call an AI chatbot addiction since 2023, and that they downloaded Character.AI because, they say, everyone was downloading it. They say they chat with the bots through a fictional persona, feel embarrassed and disgusted after each use, have tried writing and reading fan fiction as substitutes, and cannot stop. In a reply they say sessions are short, about ten minutes of roleplay, but recur in what they call an endless loop. They ask other users for advice on quitting. The account is the poster's alone and is uncorroborated.
AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 1 source · Added 05/10/2026