{
  "id": 640142,
  "title": "Character AI down: Latest update as thousands complain they were ‘kicked out’ after entering birthday; how to fix issues",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/character-ai-down-latest-update-as-thousands-complain-they-were",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-12T06:27:59.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hindustan Times - World News",
    "slug": "hindustan-times-world-news",
    "url": "https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/character-ai-down-latest-update-thousands-complain-kicked-out-after-entering-birthday-how-to-fix-issues-downdetector-101786515602812.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Wednesday, August 12, it appeared that Character AI, a web application and generative AI chatbot platform, was down for thousands of users. The site, which allows users to talk to virtual characters, experienced issues since 2:09am ET. Over 1000 people faced problems with the service, according to Downdetector, which tracks site outages.\n\nUsers reported being \"kicked out\" after entering their birthday. One user shared a screenshot, saying they were unable to access the app even though they had just used it an hour ago. Another user wrote, \"I’m glad to see we’re all here because it asked us for our ages and then killed us for being of age.\"\n\nThe cause of the problem is unknown and Character AI has not issued a statement. The Downdetector comment section saw users rushing to complain about the issue. Some users claimed they were of age and were still locked out, while others expressed frustration about being denied access despite entering their correct birthdates.\n\nAccording to Character AI, the platform can log out users if the birth date indicates they are under 13. However, glitches in the system may also cause users to be locked out. Some potential fixes include clearing the browser cache, using an incognito window, or trying a different device. Nonetheless, given the number of people affected, user-end solutions are unlikely to resolve the issue.",
  "summary": "Thousands complained of facing issues with Character AI, with many saying they got ‘kicked out’ after entering the date of birth.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}