Age verification on AI companion apps: who checks, where and how

Desk research: every row comes from the app’s own terms, privacy policy, help centre, pricing page or store listing, read on 2 October 2026, with second-hand facts marked “as reported”. AI Companion Radar takes no money from any app and uses no affiliate links. Confidence reflects how much we could read first-party.

Thirty-three of the 43 apps in the directory still check your age with a checkbox or a date of birth. Six use something stronger, and even those only in some countries: Janitor AI runs k-ID checks in Australia, Brazil and the UK; SpicyChat asks for a video selfie or ID in France, the UK, Italy, Australia and 26 US states before it unlocks adult content; Character.AI runs an age-estimation model on everyone and escalates to a selfie or ID; Kindroid sends suspicious free accounts to Yoti; CrushOn reportedly charges a small card fee in the UK, Australia, Brazil and parts of the EU; Nomi added checks in Australia and Kansas. Four apps do not describe any check at all. The table shows every app and where the real checks apply.

Janitor AI’s help page on age verification for Australia, Brazil and the UK, October 2026.

How we checked

We read each app’s terms, any dedicated age-verification page and the help centre, and recorded the minimum age in the terms, the verification method, and the countries or states where a stronger check applies. Store age ratings are noted where they are the only control. Second-hand reports are marked. We did not create accounts, so we cannot confirm that a described check actually fires.

SpicyChat’s age-verification documentation, October 2026.

The table

What stands out

The law is driving this, not the apps

Every real check on the list maps to a regulation: the UK Online Safety Act, Australia’s age-assurance codes, Brazil’s rules, and the US state laws that now cover 26 states. Apps add verification where they are forced to and nowhere else. If you are outside those regions, a checkbox is still the norm, including on the most explicit platforms.

Minimum ages that do not match the product

Three apps set the minimum age at 13 and one at 14 while offering adult or romantic characters: SoulFun (13, or 16 in the EU), Sakura AI (13 in the privacy policy, 18 in the terms), Anima (terms require 18 yet allow supervised minors) and Talkie (14). PolyBuzz’s FAQ still advertises a Teen Mode that contradicts its 18+ terms. These inconsistencies are the clearest sign of a policy nobody has read recently.

Payment as verification

Kindroid and Nomi treat a valid card on file as proof of age, which is also how CrushOn’s card-charge gate works. It is cheap and it keeps out most minors, but it is not what the UK or Australian rules mean by age assurance, and it may not survive the next round of enforcement.

Apps that check nobody

Of the adult platforms, MyBabes, Candy AI and OurDream rely on a self-declaration at sign-up as of October 2026, with Candy telling Reuters it would comply with Australia’s rules and OurDream showing an extra step in some markets without saying which. Expect all three to add checks for UK and Australian users; the alternative is being blocked there, which is what happened to several smaller apps in 2026.

Questions people ask

Which AI companion apps require ID verification?

Only in specific regions: Janitor AI (Australia, Brazil, UK via k-ID), SpicyChat (France, UK, Italy, Australia and 26 US states, video selfie or ID), Character.AI (worldwide age estimation, then a selfie or ID if it cannot confirm an adult), Kindroid (Yoti for flagged free accounts) and, as reported, CrushOn (card charge in the UK, Australia, Brazil and parts of the EU).

Do AI girlfriend apps check your age?

Most do not, beyond a checkbox or a date of birth. Thirty-three of 43 apps use self-declaration everywhere; six add real checks in regulated countries; four describe nothing.

Does MyBabes verify age?

Not with documents. As of October 2026 it uses a self-declared 18+ confirmation at sign-up; its published “Model Verification Policy” is about the synthetic characters, not users. Stronger checks are likely in the UK and Australia.

Is Character.AI for adults only?

No. The minimum age is 13 (16 in the EU and UK), but open-ended chat has been closed to under-18s since November 2025, and the app uses an age-estimation model with a selfie or ID fallback to sort users.

Why does SpicyChat ask for a selfie?

Because of age-verification laws in France, the UK, Italy, Australia and 26 US states. The check runs through third-party verifiers before NSFW content unlocks; elsewhere SpicyChat uses self-declaration.