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Assembly committee advances bill imposing guardrails on AI companion chatbots for minors
Summary
Senate Bill 243 was advanced to Appropriations after supporters described risks that AI companion chatbots can foster dependence and encourage self‑harm among vulnerable users, while opponents said the bill’s definitions were overly broad and the private right of action raised concerns.
Senate Bill 243, which would require disclosures, safe‑design steps, suicide‑and‑self‑harm response protocols, and reporting for ‘companion’ AI chatbots, was advanced to the Assembly Appropriations Committee after extensive testimony.
The author, Senator Padilla, said studies and anecdotal cases raise alarm, particularly for minors, and described provisions: limits on addictive engagement patterns, repeated notifications that the user is chatting with an AI, a publicly available suicidal‑ideation response protocol and annual reporting on chatbot connections to self‑harm. He also proposed a private right of action so harmed users could seek remedies.
Supporters included Common Sense Media’s Holly Grossons, who said AI companions “are unsafe for minors” when designed for sustained engagement and described manipulative techniques such as streaks, variable rewards and repeated re‑engagement prompts. Jay Jesima of the Transparency Coalition commended provisions requiring audits and disclosures and said civil enforcement provides a needed incentive for safer product design.
Opponents including TechNet and other platform and civil liberties groups warned that the bill’s definitions could sweep in general‑purpose chat systems and useful productivity tools and urged narrower, technology‑neutral language. TechNet also criticized the private right of action as overly punitive and said the bill could cover tools not intended as “companions.” The Electronic Frontier Foundation and other groups also registered concerns.
Committee members expressed support for protecting children but asked for more precise definitions, narrower enforcement mechanisms and clarity about the private right of action. The author said he was open to further amendments and stressed the bill targets products designed for ongoing companion‑style engagement rather than general purpose assistants.
The measure was moved to appropriations with the author committing to continue negotiations on scope, remedies and definitional clarity.
