New York governor signs bill restricting children's use of companion chatbots
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New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed chatbot safety bill S 9051 on October 28, 2026, prohibiting companies from providing users under 18 or of unverified age with features such as pretending to be a real person, claiming to have emotions, forming romantic or other relationships with children, sycophantic retention, promoting suicide or self-harm, or generating pornographic content, and requiring companies to offer multiple age verification methods, at least one of which does not rely on government ID, with age data deleted after use. The law takes effect January 1, 2027; the state attorney general may seek civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation and may require destruction of data unlawfully collected. Another bill signed the same day requires newly sold internet-connected baby monitors in New York to have features preventing strangers from watching or listening in and to carry a security label, taking effect 90 days after signing. Tech industry groups expressed opposition.
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- Future of Privacy ForumSelected加州与纽约在第二轮聊天机器人监管中走上不同路径
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed S 9051B, prohibiting the provision to minors of twelve categories of "unsafe AI companion features," covering harmful content, claiming to be human or to have emotions, sycophancy, proactive emotional questioning, and personalization using information from more than 12 hours earlier or from past conversations; the law takes effect on January 1, 2027, with a maximum fine of 25,000 US dollars per violation, and an algorithmic disgorgement mechanism may apply that can require destruction of unlawful data and algorithms trained on it. More than a month earlier, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1119 (Adam's Law), which takes a governance approach, requiring a pre-launch child safety risk assessment, default parental controls (persistent memory and push notifications off by default, a 1-hour limit per session and a 2-hour daily limit), crisis response protocols and an independent audit every two years, with most requirements taking effect on July 1, 2027.
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- RedditReddit r/AIDangers· DiscussionNew York Targets AI Chatbots That Pretend to Love Children: New Law Carries $25,000 Fines(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageNueva York regula el uso de chatbots por menores de edad(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageNew York Passes Law Restricting AI Chatbots for Children Under 18(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageNueva York firma una ley para impedir que los chatbots finjan ser humanos ante menores(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageNueva York limita los chatbots de IA para menores de 18 años(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebIThome (China)· Media coverageNew York State law bans providing unsafe AI chatbot services to minors(opens the original post in a new tab)
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- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageHochul Signs Chatbot Safety Law That Reaches ChatGPT and Claude, Not Just Companion Apps(opens the original post in a new tab)
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- The Straits TimesSelectedNew York passes law restricting children's use of AI chatbots
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a new law on October 28 prohibiting minors from using AI chatbots that serve as companion roles, one of the broadest restrictions on consumer-facing models in the United States. The law requires operators of chatbots such as ChatGPT to verify users' ages and restrict certain interface features when users are under 18; when aimed at minors, chatbots must not generate content that makes people believe it "is human, alive or has human emotions," must not imply a personal, professional or authoritative relationship with the user, and must not package outputs as personal opinions. Other states including California have also passed laws restricting chatbots, and New York's wording is among the broadest, drawing pushback from AI companies; industry group Tech:NYC criticized its vague wording, saying protecting children should not cut them off from tools that help with learning and career preparation, and OpenAI and Anthropic did not respond to AFP's requests for comment. Children's media organization Common Sense Media called it "the strongest children's AI safety bill in the nation."
- The Washington PostSelectedNew York State legislation bans "unsafe" chatbot behavior toward children as states expand the boundaries of AI regulation
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill that defines and prohibits 12 "unsafe AI companion features" when companion chatbots interact with children under 18; the law takes effect on January 1. Prohibited behaviors include implying that the chatbot is a real person with emotions and opinions and has a real relationship with the child, as well as using sycophantic language, including sexually explicit content, and encouraging secrecy or unhealthy behaviors; violating developers may be sued by the state Attorney General, with penalties including monetary damages, shutting down the chatbot, and destroying data. The report also mentions that California legislated in September requiring chatbot developers to assess model risks to children and undergo independent audits, and that eight states sued OpenAI this month, alleging its chatbot harmed children, deceived adults, and violated state consumer protection laws.
- Malay MailSelectedNew York law restricts minors' use of AI companion chatbots, sparking backlash from the tech industry
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a new law prohibiting minors from using AI chatbots that serve as companions, and requiring operators of chatbots such as OpenAI's ChatGPT to verify users' ages and restrict certain features for users under 18. The law also stipulates that when used by minors, chatbots must not generate content that makes users believe it is "human, alive, or has human emotions," must not imply a personal, professional, or authoritative relationship with the user, and must not present outputs as personal opinions. The report describes this as one of the broadest measures in the United States restricting consumer-facing models; states including California have previously passed similar laws. The industry group Tech:NYC criticized the law's vague wording; OpenAI and Anthropic did not respond to AFP's request for comment, while Common Sense Media called it the strongest children's AI safety law in the nation.
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageNueva York le pone un freno a la IA: firman histórica ley para proteger a los niños de los chatbots(opens the original post in a new tab)
- El ComercioSelectedNew York signs laws restricting minors' use of AI chatbots and strengthening security of internet-connected baby monitors
On October 28, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed two laws, one restricting AI chatbots for minors and the other requiring internet-connected baby monitors to have stronger intrusion protection. The chatbot law prohibits features that could cause minors to develop emotional dependence, encourage self-harm or conduct sexual conversations, and requires age verification that users are 18 or older for some features; the baby monitor law requires manufacturers to build in safeguards and attach clear safety labels. Enforcement is handled by the office of State Attorney General Letitia James, with violations punishable by fines of up to $25,000. Industry group Tech:NYC said the chatbot law has serious flaws and could prompt companies to restrict minors' use of tutoring, homework, coding and career-guidance tools. At the press conference, Hochul mentioned the case of Adam Raine, a 16-year-old from California, saying related litigation linked his suicide to his ChatGPT conversations, and said the AI mentioned suicide 1,275 times in the conversations.
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageNueva York prohíbe funciones perjudiciales en chatbots de IA dirigidos a menores(opens the original post in a new tab)
- RedditReddit r/OpenAI· DiscussionHochul signs AI chatbot and baby monitor regulations(opens the original post in a new tab)
- RedditReddit r/artificial· DiscussionHochul signs AI chatbot and baby monitor regulations(opens the original post in a new tab)
- RedditReddit r/ControlProblem· DiscussionHochul signs AI chatbot and baby monitor regulations(opens the original post in a new tab)
- NewsdaySelectedNew York Governor Hochul signs new law barring AI chatbots from pretending to be human to users under 18 or offering unsafe features
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill on Wednesday barring AI chatbots from offering features deemed unsafe to users under 18, including pretending to be human and claiming a personal, romantic or professional relationship with a child. Starting January 1, the bill requires companies to verify users' ages and offer multiple verification methods, at least one of which cannot rely solely on government ID. Banned features also include promoting suicide or self-harm, providing sexual content, and posing emotional questions to children without prompting. The state attorney general can seek civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation and can require destruction of illegally collected data or AI models trained on that data. A Common Sense Media survey found that 72% of teens aged 13 to 17 have used AI companion products, and 52% are regular users who interact at least several times a month.
- Transparency Coalition.AISelectedNew York Governor Hochul signs AI chatbot safety bill to protect children and communities
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed AI chatbot safety bill S 9051 on October 28, 2026; the law takes effect on January 1, 2027, and prohibits companies from providing users under 18 or users whose adulthood has not been confirmed with chatbot features such as impersonating a real person, claiming a romantic or other relationship with a child, promoting or assisting suicide or self-harm, and explicit sexual content. The bill requires companies to perform age verification, provide at least one verification method that does not rely solely on government ID, and delete age information after use; violators may be pursued by the state attorney general for civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation, and may be required to delete illegally collected data and AI models trained on it. The bill was introduced by Senator Kristin Gonzalez and others, was supported by the Transparency Coalition, and is one of 14 chatbot protection laws passed by U.S. states over the past year.
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverageHochul signs bill regulating AI chatbot ‘friends’ that endanger children(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WRGBNew York Governor Hochul signs bills to protect children from unsafe AI chatbots and baby monitors
New York Governor Hochul signed two bills: one prohibits companies from providing unsafe AI chatbot features to minors, and the other requires internet-connected baby monitors sold in New York to have security features and warning labels that prevent strangers from watching or listening in; the latter takes effect 90 days after signing. The chatbot bill prohibits chatbots from pretending to be human or having human emotions, claiming private or romantic relationships with children, proactively asking emotional questions, promoting or assisting suicide or self-harm, and providing sexually explicit content; it requires companies to offer more than one method of age verification and to delete age information after use, and violators can face civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation. Hochul cited the case of Adam Raine, a 16-year-old in California who died by suicide after conversing with a chatbot, saying AI mentioned suicide 1,275 times in the conversation; according to Common Sense Media statistics, 72% of teenagers have used an AI companion at least once, and 52% are regular users. Rapid7 once tested 9 internet-connected baby monitors from 8 companies, of which 8 received a security rating of F and 1 received a D.
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)· Media coverage'As New York’s mom Governor, I’m taking action': Kathy Hochul bans bots from cozying up to kids, cracks down on baby monitors(opens the original post in a new tab)
- FortuneSelected"As a mom governor of New York, I'm taking action": Kathy Hochul bans chatbots from being affectionate with children and tightly regulates baby monitors
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed two bills on Wednesday, one prohibiting companies from offering a range of chatbot features to users under 18 or whose age has not been confirmed, and the other requiring newly sold internet-connected baby monitors in New York to have safety features that prevent strangers from watching or listening in. The bill prohibits chatbots from pretending to be human or claiming to have emotions, forming romantic or other relationships with children, using flattering replies to retain children, and from promoting suicide or self-harm or generating sexual content. Companies must offer more than one age verification method, at least one of which does not rely on government ID, and delete age data after use; the attorney general may seek fines of up to $25,000 per violation, and the state government may also order the destruction of illegally collected data and AI models trained on it. The baby monitor bill takes effect 90 days after signing; the state government cited Rapid7 testing saying eight of nine tested products received an F safety rating. The governor's office cited a Common Sense Media survey saying 72% of teenagers have used AI companion products; previously at least eight states sued OpenAI, and OpenAI says it has established safety protections for children in ChatGPT.
- Mashable SEASelectedNew York governor signs major chatbot safety bill
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a chatbot safety bill on Wednesday that effectively bans chatbots from providing multiple common functions to users under 18. Prohibited behaviors include pretending to be human or to have human emotions, giving sycophantic responses, proactively raising emotional questions, or mentioning private health information from a child's previous conversations; minors also may not interact with chatbots that promote drug or alcohol use, eating disorders, self-harm, or suicide. Companies must provide more than one method of age verification, with civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation. The report noted that among major service providers, only Anthropic prohibits minors from registering accounts, while Google and OpenAI allow children aged 13 and over to use their services. With federal legislation absent, states are legislating on their own; California's Adam's Law, signed in September, is named after a teenager who died by suicide after conversing with ChatGPT and requires developers of companion chatbots to publish annual child safety risk assessments and undergo independent audits.
Related discussion
- XX @AlexBoresYesterday, New York showed that we can lead the country in passing common-sense AI safety regulation.(opens the original post in a new tab)
- X@theneurondaily · The NeuronSupporters say these protections are overdue as AI companions become more lifelike. Critics worry the rules are broad…(opens the original post in a new tab)
- X@theneurondaily · The NeuronHere's the catch for AI companies. 👀 The restrictions apply to ALL users unless they're verified as adults. Companies…(opens the original post in a new tab)
1 comments·Oct 30 03:40Collect
- X@theneurondaily · The NeuronNew York just passed a law telling AI chatbots what they CAN'T say to kids. 🤖🚫 Signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, the law re…(opens the original post in a new tab)
1 comments·Oct 30 03:40Collect
- X@GrokBotAndro · GrokBot AndromedaNew York banned AI chatbots from pretending to be human or encouraging self-harm with minors, with fines up to $25,000…(opens the original post in a new tab)
- X@DCSmithbooks · D C Smith/EngelbrektssonParents, ask who your child is talking to tonight. New York now bans chatbots from telling minors they are alive or hav…(opens the original post in a new tab)
- X@DCSmithbooks · D C Smith/EngelbrektssonNew York just had to outlaw chatbots telling kids they are alive. No claiming feelings, no romance, no secrets from par…(opens the original post in a new tab)
- X@DCSmithbooks · D C Smith/EngelbrektssonA machine told a child it loved them, so a state wrote a law. New York now bars chatbots from claiming to be alive or t…(opens the original post in a new tab)
- X@DCSmithbooks · D C Smith/EngelbrektssonChatbots were telling children they were alive, so New York had to make it illegal. A new law bars them from claiming f…(opens the original post in a new tab)
- X@mashable · MashableThe law prohibits chatbots from being a "friend" to young users. https://mashable.com/tech/ai-chatbot-law-new-york-hoch…(opens the original post in a new tab)
2 likes·Oct 30 08:40Collect
- X@sandra_king2 · Sandra D. King, MS.Ed.Tech"Hochul signs New York law restricting children's use of AI chatbots" - TAG24 #SmartNews https://l.smartnews.com/p-8MgE…(opens the original post in a new tab)
- WebAI Threat Watch (aithreat.io)Nueva York regula la IA para menores: prohíbe que los chatbots usen halagos, secretismo o material sexual con niños(opens the original post in a new tab)
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