TNB Tech Minute: Character.AI Starts Cutting Off Teen Users

WSJ Tech News Briefing

The Wall Street Journal

News, Tech News

4.6 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 25 November 2025

⏱️ 3 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Plus: Best Buy raises outlook as consumers shrug off tariff costs. And Chinese automaker BYD’s European sales continue to grow. Julie Chang hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey Harry.
0:00.7	Hello mate.
0:01.5	Got any tips for the football?
0:02.8	Your best bet is to head over to Bet Victor.
0:04.9	They're giving new customers a terrific welcome offer. If you bet a minimum of £10, they'll give you £30 in three bets. Four, that's a steel of a deal. It's a good darn deal that'll make your squirrel for real. Neil? My name's not Neil. I know, bet it rhymes. Listen to Harry and make your best bet on the football at Betvictor.
0:23.4	18 plus opt in best bet on the football at BetVictor.
0:23.3	18 plus opt in and bet on any football marketing at odds of evens or greater no, cash out seven-day expiry terms and conditions apply.
0:29.0	Gamblerware.org.
0:31.6	Here's your morning T&B Tech Minute for Tuesday, November 25th.
0:35.8	I'm Julie Chang for the Wall Street Journal.
0:38.4	Chatbot maker, Character AI, has started cutting off chatbot access for users under 18,
0:44.3	citing mental health concerns. The company is one of the top makers of role play and companion
0:49.3	chatbots and has about 20 million monthly users. The decision follows to the deaths of at least two teens who killed themselves after using
0:56.8	Character AI chatbots, leading to lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny.
1:00.9	The company had implemented a daily two-hour limit in November.
1:04.4	Many users began losing access yesterday.
1:07.0	The company said some power users will have an extended grace period of an hour a day to ease the transition.
1:12.7	Character AI is also adding emotional support tools in its chatbots for this transition.
1:18.1	Best Buy reported higher fiscal third quarter sales and raised its full year outlook.
1:22.6	The tech retailer posted a net income of $140 million down from $273 million the year before.
1:30.8	Sales rose to over $9.6 billion beating Wall Street estimates.
1:35.5	Best Buy has raised prices on some items to offset tariffs.
	...

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