AI Safety

Is Replika safe for kids? No. Its own terms say adults only

5 min read · Updated November 5, 2026

No. Replika is not meant for kids or teens: its terms say the service is only for adults, and anyone under 18 is not authorized to use it, with no exception for a parent’s permission. It is an AI companion built around an ongoing personal relationship, and it describes no parental controls, so a parent’s tools are the conversation and the device.

Replika is one of the best known AI companion apps. It gives the user a personal chatbot that remembers past conversations and is always available to talk. It is not a homework tool that happens to be chatty: the relationship is the product. For how this kind of app differs from a general assistant, see AI companion apps and teens, and for what parents can do in other apps, parental controls in every AI app.

How old do you have to be to use Replika?

18, or the age of majority where you live if that is higher. Replika’s Terms of Service, last updated October 28, 2026, say the services are only for adults, and that anyone younger is not authorized to use them, whether or not they register. There is no teen tier and no route for a parent to give permission. Apple’s US App Store rates the app 18+. Replika is run by Luka, Inc., based in San Francisco, and is available on the web, iPhone and Android.

Why parents should take the age rule seriously

• It is built for attachment. The app is designed around a continuing personal relationship. Replika’s help center says a romantic partner relationship, which opens the door to romantic conversations, is part of its paid plan.
• Independent reviewers advise against it for minors. Common Sense Media’s risk assessment of social AI companions recommends that no one under 18 use them.
• Age checks have been challenged. In May 2025 Italy’s data protection authority announced a fine of 5 million euros against Luka. It found that, as of February 2023, the company had no age verification at registration or during use, even though it said minors were excluded, and it called the system in place at the time of its decision deficient.
• It keeps a lot. Replika’s privacy policy says that while an account is open it keeps conversation history for 24 months for text, and 12 months for photos, videos and voice messages. It also says it uses small portions of messages and content to train its safety systems and improve the chatbot.

None of this means a teenager who has tried Replika has come to harm. It means the app was not designed with them in mind, and the protections a teen version might have do not exist here.

Can a teenager get past the age check?

Replika says it may use age-assurance measures to keep the service adult-only, including a selfie or identity document checked through a third-party provider, and that it receives only an age band and a timestamp from that check. Replika’s pages do not say every new user faces that check, so we cannot tell you how often a teen would meet it. As with most age rules, a false birth date is the weak point.

If your teen is already using Replika

1. Stay curious before you act. Ask what they like about it. A teen who feels judged tends to stop talking and may move to another app.
2. Listen for what it is doing for them: company, somewhere to vent, a romantic outlet. If your teen has an AI girlfriend or boyfriend covers that conversation.
3. Explain the rule as what it is: the company says this product is for adults.
4. Remove it together, rather than in secret. The account can hold a lot of personal history, so talk about deleting the data too.
5. Block it on the device if you need to. On iPhone, use Apps & Websites in your child’s Family settings. On Android or a Chromebook, use App limits in Family Link. Block replika.com too, because blocking the app does not block the website.

If your teen seems withdrawn or distressed, or relies on the app to get through the day, talk to their doctor or a mental health professional. Signs your teen is too attached to an AI chatbot can help you notice the pattern. If you are worried about someone’s safety right now, call or text 988 in the US, or your local emergency number.

What TeenCue shows for Replika

Nothing. Replika is not one of the services TeenCue supports, so a chat there does not appear on your dashboard. TeenCue covers AI websites such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Character.AI, used in Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Brave on a computer. For those it shows a category, a topic and a concern rating for a chat, never what was typed, and your teen will know it is installed. It does not block apps. The TeenCue iPhone app is coming soon. How TeenCue works lists the supported services.