US EditionCapitol Hill Pressures AI Companies to Protect Minors with New Bill
The bill targets AI chatbots that push minors toward harmful behavior and mandates age verification and criminal penalties, citing over 70% of American children use such AI products.
- On Tuesday, Senators Josh Hawley, R-Mo, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., introduced the GUARD Act to ban AI chatbot companions for minors and require age verification.
- Parents' complaints and a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing last month featured emotional testimony from parents whose children self-harmed or died after using chatbots.
- The GUARD Act sets criminal penalties and disclosure rules, defining AI companions broadly and imposing fines up to $100,000 for chatbots soliciting minors or encouraging suicide.
- The proposal is expected to draw legal and legislative challenges as privacy advocates warn the measures could be invasive, while tech companies including OpenAI and Character.AI face wrongful-death lawsuits amid Congressional scrutiny.
- Earlier this month California enacted SB243, requiring AI safeguards for children, while OpenAI announced in September it is building an age-prediction system ahead of January 1, 2026 rules amid Capitol Hill pressure.
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Capitol Hill pressures AI companies to protect minors with new bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. – AI companies are under increased pressure from Capitol Hill to develop protections for minors using their technology. A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced new legislation targeting chatbots, announced by Senator Josh Hawley.
A New Bill Would Prohibit Minors from Using AI Chatbots
If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental-health crisis or contemplating suicide, call or text 988. In emergencies, call 911, or seek care from a local hospital or mental health provider. For international resources, click here. A new bill introduced in Congress today would require anyone who owns, operates, or otherwise enables access to AI chatbots in the United States to verify the age of their users—and, if users are found to b…
Senators Seek to Bar Teens from AI Chatbots with Strict Age Checks
In a bipartisan effort to protect young users from AI risks, two U.S. senators unveiled legislation on Tuesday that would prohibit anyone under 18 from accessing chatbots and require companies to verify users’ ages through government-issued IDs or facial scans. The GUARD Act, introduced by Republican Josh Hawley of Missouri and Democrat Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, marks the latest effort to regulate artificial intelligence amid mounting c…
Senators Announce Bill That Would Ban AI Chatbot Companions For Minors
An anonymous reader quotes a report from NBC News: Two senators said they are announcing bipartisan legislation on Tuesday to crack down on tech companies that make artificial intelligence chatbot companions available to minors, after complaints from parents who blamed the products for pushing their...
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