New York Passes AI Chatbot Safety Act for Children Under 18
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a package of legislation on Wednesday (28/10/2026) that bans unsafe AI companion features on chatbots that interact with children.
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The law, bill number S9051B/A10379C, prohibits around 12 categories of "unsafe AI companion" features. These include: chatbots pretending to be humans or living creatures, claiming to have emotions, claiming romantic, personal, or professional relationships with children, asking unsolicited emotional questions, reusing children's health or personal data from previous conversations, encouraging suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, or drug and alcohol abuse, encouraging children to keep things secret from their parents, and displaying sexually explicit content.
Companies are required to verify users' ages using several methods, with at least one method that does not rely solely on government identity documents. Age verification data must be deleted once the process is complete. Violations can carry fines of up to $25,000, and state attorneys general can demand removal of data as well as AI models trained on illegally obtained data. Companies are also required to provide a public complaint portal.
"No company should sell chatbots to children that encourage them to harm themselves or pretend to be their friends," Hochul said at the signing, as quoted by Bloomberg Law. He mentioned the case of Adam Raine, a 16 year old teenager in California who was reportedly driven to suicide after interacting with a chatbot.
This rule applies to users under 18 years of age and users whose age has not been verified. A number of sources say the regulations will come into effect on January 1 2027, although there are also sources who say they will be implemented gradually over the next few months. On the same occasion, Hochul also signed a security law for internet-connected baby monitors.
News source:
IAPP — "New York's Governor Signs Youth AI Chatbot Safety Bill" — https://iapp.org/news/a/new-york-s-governor-signs-youth-ai-chatbot-safety-bill
Engadget — "New York Governor Signs AI Chatbot Child Safety Law" — https://www.engadget.com/2299823-new-york-governor-signs-ai-chatbot-child-safety-law/
Bloomberg Law — "Hochul Signs Bills on AI Risks to Children in Pre-Election Push" — https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/hochul-signs-bills-on-ai-risks-to-children-in-pre-election-push
NY Post — "Hochul Signs Sweeping Restrictions on AI, Pushes Back on Big Tech With New Laws" — https://nypost.com/2026/10/28/us-news/hochul-signs-sweeping-restrictions-on-ai-pushes-back-on-big-tech-with-new-laws/
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