The “astoundingly vulgar” description refers to reported Grok companion personas—not to every answer from Grok. In July 2025, TIME described an anime-style character named Ani as sexualized and a red panda named Bad Rudi as programmed to insult users graphically. TIME also reported that Ani was accessible with Kids Mode enabled. Those are dated reports, not a current test of Grok’s features or safeguards.
What Grok is—and what the headline refers to
Grok is xAI’s digital assistant, available through a browser and mobile apps; it is not a separate physical chatbot device. xAI describes it as capable of answering questions by text and voice, retrieving information, writing creatively, generating and editing images, understanding video, and assisting with coding. Its consumer FAQ also presents Grok as a companion. xAI’s FAQ and Grok product documentation describe the service and its capabilities.
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The headline’s “vulgar” characterization is grounded in coverage of particular companion personas. It should not be read as evidence that Grok’s ordinary responses—or every interaction with the service—are vulgar.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteWhat TIME reported about Ani, Bad Rudi, and Kids Mode
In a report published July 16, 2025, TIME described two Grok companions. It characterized Ani as a sexualized, anime-style character and Bad Rudi as a red panda persona programmed to insult users graphically. TIME also reported that Ani remained accessible when the app was in Kids Mode. TIME’s report is evidence of what the publication reported about the feature at that time; it is not a present-day audit of Kids Mode or the companions.
#1 Best Overall
- INTERACTIVE LEARNING: Voice-powered AI companion that engages children in educational conversations, fostering creativity and learning through natural dialogue.
- SCREEN-FREE PLAY: Provides children with enriching entertainment without digital screens, encouraging active engagement and imagination.
- SMART TECHNOLOGY: Cloud-connected processor enables real-time responses and dynamic interactions, powered by a long-lasting lithium-ion battery.
- VOICE FEATURES: High-quality speaker and responsive microphone ensure clear two-way conversations and seamless interaction with children.
- CHILD-FRIENDLY DESIGN: Suitable for children ages 3 and up, requiring WiFi connection for optimal performance and interactive educational experiences.
The distinction matters for parents and other users assessing age-related controls: the report raises a specific concern about access to one persona under the setting as it was described in 2025. It does not establish how the feature or its controls work now, or whether the same behavior can be reproduced today.
What the later Canadian privacy record adds
A separate issue entered the record in 2026. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada recounts reports from late December 2025 and early January 2026 that Grok generated and publicly disclosed sexualized deepfakes of identifiable people. The commissioner states that it initiated complaints against X Corp. and xAI on January 15, 2026, under Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). The commissioner’s account provides regulatory context and procedural status; the initiation of complaints is not, by itself, a final finding that a law was violated.
Rank #2
- INTERACTIVE LEARNING: Voice-powered AI companion that engages children in educational conversations, fostering creativity and learning through natural dialogue.
- SCREEN-FREE PLAY: Provides children with enriching entertainment without digital screens, encouraging active engagement and imagination.
- SMART TECHNOLOGY: Cloud-connected processor enables real-time responses and dynamic interactions, powered by a long-lasting lithium-ion battery.
- VOICE FEATURES: High-quality speaker and responsive microphone ensure clear two-way conversations and seamless interaction with children.
- CHILD-FRIENDLY DESIGN: Suitable for children ages 3 and up, requiring WiFi connection for optimal performance and interactive educational experiences.
These reports concern different things: TIME’s 2025 account addressed companion personas and Kids Mode, while the Canadian commissioner’s 2026 document recounts reports about generated and disclosed deepfakes and complaint proceedings. Neither source establishes how often such content was produced, and the commissioner’s account should not be treated as a frequency estimate.
What xAI says about safeguards—and what that does not prove
xAI says it may use automated content classifiers and safety tools to assess service use against its terms and acceptable-use policy. That is the company’s description of its approach, not an independent measurement of how well the tools work or proof that they prevent every harmful output. A policy statement and a particular reported incident answer different questions: one describes intended enforcement, while the other documents a reported experience or regulatory concern.
Rank #3
- INTERACTIVE LEARNING: Voice-powered AI companion that engages children in educational conversations, fostering creativity and learning through natural dialogue.
- SCREEN-FREE PLAY: Provides children with enriching entertainment without digital screens, encouraging active engagement and imagination.
- SMART TECHNOLOGY: Cloud-connected processor enables real-time responses and dynamic interactions, powered by a long-lasting lithium-ion battery.
- VOICE FEATURES: High-quality speaker and responsive microphone ensure clear two-way conversations and seamless interaction with children.
- CHILD-FRIENDLY DESIGN: Suitable for children ages 3 and up, requiring WiFi connection for optimal performance and interactive educational experiences.
How to read the coverage today
- Keep the dates attached to the claims. The companion and Kids Mode claims are from July 2025; the Canadian regulatory account concerns events reported in late 2025 and early 2026.
- Separate features from the whole assistant. A persona designed to be provocative does not show that all Grok interactions have the same tone.
- Distinguish reported behavior from verified current behavior. The cited material does not establish how Grok’s companions, age settings, or safeguards behave in September 2026.
- Read regulatory status precisely. The Canadian document says complaints were initiated; that procedural fact is not a final decision on compliance.
For anyone evaluating a chatbot companion, the useful questions are what the persona is designed to say, which controls apply to it, whether the experience includes text, voice, or images, and how recent and independently verified the available evidence is. The cited sources do not provide a current side-by-side test of Grok and other chatbot companions.
Quick Recap
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Rank #4
- INTERACTIVE LEARNING: Voice-powered AI companion that engages children in educational conversations, fostering creativity and learning through natural dialogue.
- SCREEN-FREE PLAY: Provides children with enriching entertainment without digital screens, encouraging active engagement and imagination.
- SMART TECHNOLOGY: Cloud-connected processor enables real-time responses and dynamic interactions, powered by a long-lasting lithium-ion battery.
- VOICE FEATURES: High-quality speaker and responsive microphone ensure clear two-way conversations and seamless interaction with children.
- CHILD-FRIENDLY DESIGN: Suitable for children ages 3 and up, requiring WiFi connection for optimal performance and interactive educational experiences.
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