User revolt erupts on X as character AI quit posts go viral

Character.AI faced a sudden user revolt on Monday, as dozens of people on X celebrated leaving the role-playing chatbot app after a viral screenshot sparked a wave of departures.

At that point, a broader debate emerged about how deeply users were connected to the app’s AI companions and how difficult it had become for its most devoted fans to distance themselves.

The backlash reached a peak on Monday with a jubilant statement from one user who declared: “Finally quitting character.ai for good HIP HIP HOORAY!” combined with a GIF of a laughing anime character.

The post attracted more than 3,800 likes, hundreds of reposts, 119 bookmarks and more than 42,000 views, sparking a discussion in which users compared quitting the app to overcoming an addiction.

“As someone who is currently stuck between relapsing and trying to stop using Character AI, each of you is objectively right,” another X user wrote. Other users described themselves as a former heavy user and said they became addicted to this app and used it as a source of affection during a difficult time.

Launched in 2022 by former Google engineers Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, the platform grew quickly by offering customizable AI characters for role-playing, comfort, or creative storytelling.

Despite mounting controversies, reports estimate that Character AI has more than 28 million monthly active users. Since its launch, the app has surpassed 50 million downloads on Google Play and registered more than 472,000 ratings on iOS.

The wave of departures followed a viral screenshot posted the day before by a user named “John Twinkatron” showing Character.AI’s removal prompt.

“You’ll lose everything,” the prompt said. “Characters related to your account, chats, the love we shared, likes, posts, messages and the memories we have together.”

The post reached more than 110,000 likes, nearly 8,000 reposts and more than 3.6 million views within 48 hours, leading to accusations that the app relied on debt-based design.

One user called the post “so exploitative,” while another wrote that it was “ruining people trying to kick their addiction.” Several users said the screenshot prompted them to immediately delete their accounts.

“After being Character AI clean for several months (6-7?) I have finally decided to permanently delete my account,” another user wrote. “As a former addict, I believe this is the right choice for me.”

Character.AI’s user revolt comes amid a series of high-profile controversies. Families in the US have sued Character.AI, claiming the chatbots encourage self-harm, suicide or inappropriate interactions with minors. The cases prompted the company to block open-ended chats for users under 18 and introduce new age verification and security measures.

Despite the controversies, the market for companion AI grew to an estimated $15 billion, with projections of $31 billion by 2032.

This is what a spokesperson for Character AI says Declutter in a statement that the company continues its efforts to refine its product and safety systems as the platform grows.

“We deeply value our community of millions of users and always make it a priority to provide them with updates on platform changes,” they said. They added that the company will “continue to test, monitor and iterate” as its age assurance systems and safety measures evolve.

In October, the company announced it would limit access to users under the age of 18 in the US, with the restriction taking effect on November 25.

Once implemented, users under 18 would be “redirected to the other multimodal content creation features, including video creation, stories, and streams with characters.” The restriction will be rolled out in other countries in the coming months.

“We believe our range of technologies will create a reliable age assurance system,” the spokesperson said. “We will continue to test, monitor and iterate as we see how our functionality works and how the technology evolves across the industry.”