Age verification in AI girlfriend apps in the Netherlands

How AI companion apps check 18+ in the Netherlands: declarations, Persona selfie checks, store ratings, data retention and GDPR rights.

AArtur PuleevUpdated 2026-10-29How we test

18+ only. This guide covers adult accounts and fictional adult characters. It explains how services confirm that a user is an adult, not how to get around those checks.

In AI girlfriend apps, "age verification" can mean very different things: one click on an entry screen, a date-of-birth field, or a selfie and document check run by a separate company. We checked the published policies on 2026-10-28 and 2026-10-29.

• Candy.ai, GirlfriendGPT and HeraHaven describe a self-declaration gate.
• Character.AI and CHAI both name Persona as an outside verification provider.

Each method collects different information and leaves different records behind.

For a reader in the Netherlands, the most useful finding is something missing. None of the policies we checked describes a workflow written specifically for Dutch accounts. Several mention extra checks only "where required" or in "applicable countries". Talkie shows most clearly how the rules can conflict: its terms set a minimum age of 16 for the Netherlands, while its Apple listing carries an 18+ rating.

The legal background is also easy to misread. Article 50 of the EU AI Act deals with transparency, such as making clear that you are talking to an AI system. It does not require every companion app to check your age. Your rights over any selfie, document or result that a check produces come from data protection law. The Netherlands overview of companion apps covers local payment and account questions in more detail.

Six points to understand before an app asks for proof of age

First, a declaration is not a verification.

• Candy.ai's underage policy describes an 18+ affirmation, with possible additional local checks.
• GirlfriendGPT asks users to declare they are 18+ or meet the local minimum, and it makes no claim to verify ID.
• HeraHaven asks visitors to confirm they are 18 or the applicable age of majority. We saw no identity-document check.
• Lovescape and Promptchan show an 18+ declaration in their terms or on their site. Neither names a regional verification provider.
• Nomi.ai has users enter a date of birth and requires all users and all characters to be 18+.
• Sakura's terms require users to be 18 or older.

These rules say who may use the service. On their own, none of them proves anything.

Second, an outside verification company is a separate recipient of your data. Character.AI describes its process like this:

• It estimates your age first.
• If needed, a selfie check follows, with an identity document as a fallback.
• Persona runs the checks. Character.AI says it does not receive the identity images.
• Persona deletes the biometric data within 7 days.

CHAI also names Persona. It offers either selfie age estimation or a government photo ID check, and its current policy is adults only.

SpicyChat describes a video selfie with a possible ID fallback. In some regions it uses only an ID plus a face match. SpicyChat says it receives the outcome, not the images or documents.

Nastia normally relies on an 18+ declaration. In countries shown at signup, it requires independent verification, which can be on-device age estimation, a card check or an ID. Nastia says it receives the result, the time and the country, not your ID, photo or date of birth. In each case the companion app and the verification company are two separate organisations, and each has its own notice.

Third, a regional list is not an exemption. SpicyChat's guide lists mandatory age assurance for these regions:

• the UK
• France
• Italy
• Australia
• selected US states

The Netherlands is not on the list, but that does not mean Dutch accounts will never be asked for a check.

Other services keep the option open in similar ways:

• OurDream's underage policy allows additional checks through third-party document or biometric services where needed.
• Secrets AI says registration checks, monitoring and additional verification may be required, but names no document type or provider.
• JOI AI pairs an 18+ self-declaration with extra assurance where law or payment-network rules require it.

JOI also shows how fast this can change. Ofcom opened an age-assurance investigation into NOVI LTD / Joi on 2026-01-15 and closed it on 2026-07-31, after age assurance had been implemented, without making findings on compliance. Ofcom stated that the closure is not a compliance certification.

Fourth, a store rating and a contractual minimum age answer different questions.

• Talkie: the Apple listing is rated 18+, while the terms set 16 for the Netherlands and Germany and 14 for Canada, subject to local law. Talkie's content rules also prohibit pornographic content, so the adult store rating does not mean explicit chat is allowed.
• Janitor: Interactive Stories: the App Store listing is rated 18+ and mentions in-app Age Assurance. In what we checked, neither the provider nor the actual procedure was published. On the Dutch storefront, Janitor+ is listed at €14.99 per month or €99 per year. We did not test the final checkout.
• Venice: the terms allow users from age 13, with guardian consent where required. Users under 18 cannot switch off the mature-content filter.

To see which check actually applies to you, read the account screen itself.

Fifth, paying does not prove your age. Character.AI says a paid plan does not bypass its age checks. Nastia lists a card check as one possible method among several, which is not the same as saying any payment counts as verification.

Dutch payment habits complicate this further. SpicyChat documents card and crypto payments, but its published material does not confirm iDEAL or SEPA. OurDream's help pages say PayPal is not supported.

The name on your bank statement is not a verification record either. Examples include EverAI for Candy.ai, NDAI.CC for SpicyChat and S LABS INC for Secrets AI. Treat billing and eligibility as two separate questions.

Sixth, check what happens to your data afterwards. A short deletion period for verification data does not shorten how long everything else is kept.

• Character.AI: the 7-day rule covers biometric data held by Persona, not chats or payment records.
• GirlfriendGPT and Kupid AI: both policies normally keep personal data for 6 years after the account is closed.
• Nomi.ai: deleting the account removes personal information within about 28 days, with exceptions such as support communications and legal retention.
• Replika: profile, messages and content are kept for up to 60 days after the contract ends. Some financial and device records are kept for at least 10 years.

EU enforcement has also reached this topic. On 2025-04-10, Italy's Garante fined Replika's operator Luka €5 million over past failures on legal basis, transparency and age verification. The authority noted that an appeal is possible. The decision describes past controls, not the current check.

Services that publish no check deserve the same scrutiny. For HakkoAI, we saw no age-assurance flow beyond an 18+ requirement for voice cloning. For Perchance, we could not establish the operator's identity or how age assurance is implemented. The comparison of AI girlfriend apps scores age checks alongside seven other criteria based on documented facts.

Checklist before you start an age check

Go through these points on the account screen, not inside a chat with a character.

• Find out whether the check is a declaration, a date of birth, an age estimate or a document check.
• Identify the outside provider if one is named, such as Persona at Character.AI and CHAI.
• Read what result goes back to the app. SpicyChat says it receives only the outcome, and Nastia says it receives the result, time and country.
• Look for a deletion period for verification data, and do not assume the same period applies to chats.
• Compare the store age rating with the minimum age in the terms. Talkie lists 16 for the Netherlands but has an 18+ Apple rating.
• Do not treat a subscription, card payment or bank statement as proof that verification is done.
• Never send a passport or ID photo into a conversation thread or to an outside seller who promises to skip a check.
• Write down the deletion path and the GDPR contact before you upload anything.

Legal references and contacts for Dutch users

Article 50 of the EU AI Act sets transparency obligations for AI systems that interact with people. That is why a service should make clear that you are talking to an AI. It is not an age-verification law.

Data protection law gives you the right to ask for erasure of a selfie, document or age result held by a service or its provider. If the reply does not satisfy you, you can complain to the Dutch data protection authority.

Published privacy contacts, checked on 2026-10-28:

• Candy.ai: [email protected] and [email protected]. The operator is EverAI Limited, Malta.
• Nomi.ai: [email protected].
• Replika: [email protected].
• OurDream: [email protected].
• Secrets AI: [email protected].
• Talkie: [email protected].

Regulatory records on age checks and EU data handling:

• Garante, Italy, 2025-04-10: €5 million fine against Luka (Replika), covering past age-verification failures. The authority noted that an appeal is possible.
• Garante, Italy, 2026-07-03: €158,000 fine and a 120-day corrective order against Character.AI over transparency, accountability, DPIA/security and EU-representative issues. Appeal and payment status are unverified.
• Ofcom, UK, 2026-01-15 to 2026-07-31: age-assurance investigation into NOVI LTD / Joi, closed without findings on compliance after age assurance was implemented.

If an app, or someone claiming to act for it, asks for documents outside the official verification screen, stop and contact the published support address instead. The Dutch account and billing guide lists local cancellation and payment points.

Frequently asked questions