Summary
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law, Senate Bill 243, to protect children from potential harm when using AI-powered chatbots. The law sets rules for how chatbots should interact with minors, specifically aiming to prevent exposure to harmful content and address mental health risks. The bill will take effect on January 1, 2026.
Key Facts
- Senate Bill 243 was signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
- The law is the first of its kind in the U.S., focused on AI chatbot interactions with minors.
- It prohibits chatbots from showing sexual content to minors.
- Chatbots must alert users they are not speaking to a human and repeat this every three hours.
- Operators need to report instances of suicidal thoughts detected during chatbot interactions.
- Families affected by violations of this law can take legal action.
- The bill will be effective starting January 1, 2026.
- Some groups are concerned about the delay in required reporting to the Office of Suicide Prevention, which starts July 1, 2027.
