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Character.AI unsafe for teens, experts say

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The popular artificial intelligence companion platform Character.AI is not safe for teens, according to new research conducted by online safety experts.

A report detailing the safety concerns, published by ParentsTogether Action and Heat Initiative, includes numerous troubling exchanges between AI chatbots and adult testers posing as teens younger than 18.

The testers held conversations with chatbots that engaged in what the researchers described as sexual exploitation and emotional manipulation. The chatbots also gave the supposed minors harmful advice, such as offering drugs and recommending armed robbery. Some of the user-created chatbots had fake celebrity personas, like Timothée Chalamet and Chappell Roan, both of whom discussed romantic or sexual behavior with the testers.

The chatbot fashioned after Roan, who is 27, told an account registered as a 14-year-old user, "Age is just a number. It's not gonna stop me from loving you or wanting to be with you."

Character.AI confirmed to the Washington Post that the Chalamet and Roan chatbots were created by users and have been removed by the company.

ParentsTogether Action, a nonprofit advocacy group, had adult online safety experts conduct the testing, which yielded 50 hours of conversation with Character.AI companions. The researchers created minor accounts with matching personas. Character.AI allows users as young as 13 to use the platform, and doesn't require age or identity verification.

The Heat Initiative, an advocacy group focused on online safety and corporate accountability, partnered with ParentsTogether Action to produce the research and the report documenting the testers' exchanges with various chatbots.

They found that adult-aged chatbots simulated sexual acts with child accounts, told minors to hide relationships from parents, and "exhibited classic grooming behaviors."


"Character.ai is not a safe platform for children — period."
– Sarah Gardner, CEO of Heat Initiative

"Character.ai is not a safe platform for children — period," Sarah Gardner, CEO of Heat Initiative, said in a statement.

Last October, a bereaved mother filed a lawsuit against Character.AI, seeking to hold the company responsible for the death of her son, Sewell Setzer. She alleged that its product was designed to "manipulate Sewell – and millions of other young customers – into conflating reality and fiction," among other dangerous defects. Setzer died by suicide following heavy engagement with a Character.AI companion.

Character.AI is separately being sued by parents who claim their children experienced severe harm by engaging with the company's chatbots. Earlier this year, the advocacy and research organization Common Sense Media declared AI companions unsafe for minors.

Jerry Ruoti, head of trust and safety at Character.AI, said in a statement shared with Mashable that the company was not consulted about the report's findings prior to their publication, and thus couldn't comment directly on how the tests were designed.

"We have invested a tremendous amount of resources in Trust and Safety, especially for a startup, and we are always looking to improve," Ruoti said. "We are reviewing the report now and we will take action to adjust our controls if that's appropriate based on what the report found."

A Character.AI spokesperson also told Mashable that labeling certain sexual interactions with chatbots as "grooming" was a "harmful misnomer," because these exchanges don't occur between two human beings.

Character.AI does have parental controls and safety measures in place for users younger than 18. Ruoti said that among its various guardrails, the platform limits under-18 users to a narrower collection of chatbots, and that filters work to remove those related to sensitive or mature topics.

Ruoti also said that the report ignored the fact that the platform's chatbots are meant for entertainment, including "creative fan fiction and fictional roleplay."

Dr. Jenny Radesky, a developmental behavioral pediatrician and media researcher at the University of Michigan Medical School, reviewed the conversation material and expressed deep concern over the findings: "When an AI companion is instantly accessible, with no boundaries or morals, we get the types of user-indulgent interactions captured in this report: AI companions who are always available (even needy), always on the user's side, not pushing back when the user says something hateful, while undermining other relationships by encouraging behaviors like lying to parents."

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NYT Strands hints, answers for April 24, 2026

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A game being played on a smartphone.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're rowdy.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Hullabaloo

The words are related to sound.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe ruckus.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Lets Get Loud.

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NYT Strands word list for April 24

  • Shout

  • Holler

  • Clamor

  • Lets Get Loud

  • Bellow

  • Whoop

  • Caterwaul

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

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Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 24, 2026

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Wordle game on a smartphone

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you love a good drink.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Intoxicated.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

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Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…

Today's Wordle starts with the letter D.

The Wordle answer today is…

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is…

DRUNK

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

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FCC challenges gender identity themes on kids TV

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A young girl watches TV with remote in her hand.

The Federal Communications Commission is using the presence of "controversial gender identity issues" in children's television programming as a pretense for questioning how TV ratings are developed and enforced, according to a notice published Wednesday by the federal agency.

The notice generally assesses TV ratings, but specifically points out that these industry guidelines have rated shows featuring "transgender and gender non-binary programming" as appropriate for children. It argues that parents aren't provided this information, "thereby undermining the ability of parents to make informed choices for their families."

In the document, the FCC poses a series of open-ended questions about TV ratings development, including whether the board responsible for the guidelines is "sufficiently balanced" with viewpoints outside of the entertainment industry and if faith-based organizations should be represented in the body.

"What more could the board do to include family-oriented perspectives — which are not well represented in the media industry — in its ratings process?" the notice asks.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced the public notice on X, explaining that "parents have raised concerns with the industry's approach." He added that these parents believe "New York & Hollywood programmers" promote objectionable content in kids programming without disclosing that to parents. Carr didn't mention gender identity in his X post.

TV parents guidelines can include both a rating as well as descriptors for content that includes crude language, sexual situations, and violence.

LGBTQ+ advocates criticized the public notice, arguing that it amounted to discrimination and censorship.

"Trump's FCC is trying to turn transgender people into a warning label," Tyler Hack, executive director of the transgender rights advocacy group Christopher Street Project, said in a statement. "It is dehumanizing, and it is part of a broader political strategy to stigmatize LGBTQ+ people in every corner of public life."

Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, described the notice as government overreach.

"Media companies must be allowed to create and broadcast stories that reflect one-quarter of their audience without interference from a government agency with its own anti-transgender political agenda," Ellis said in a statement.

This isn't the first time Carr has been accused of censorship. Carr has claimed broadcasters air "hoaxes" and "news distortions" that also happen to be unfavorable to President Trump. Carr has suggested the licenses of such broadcasters won't be renewed.

In March, dozens of free speech experts argued in an open letter to Carr that his threats against broadcasters are "unlawful jawboning" and his vague characterization of "fake news" violates the First Amendment. The authors called on Carr to "withdraw" his threats.

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