California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the US state would establish regulatory safeguards for social media platforms and AI companion chatbots in an effort to protect children.
In a Monday notice, the governor’s office said Newsom had signed several bills into law that will require platforms to add age verification features, protocols to address suicide and self-harm, and warnings for companion chatbots. The AI bill, SB 243, was introduced by state Senators Steve Padilla and Josh Becker in January.
Padilla cited examples of children communicating with AI companion bots, allegedly resulting in some instances of encouraging suicide. The bill requires platforms to disclose to minors that the chatbots are AI-generated and may not be suitable for children, according to Padilla.
“This technology can be a powerful educational and research tool, but left to their own devices the Tech Industry is incentivized to capture young people’s attention and hold it at the expense of their real world relationships,” Padilla said in September.
The law will likely impact social media companies and websites offering services to California residents using AI tools, potentially including decentralized social media and gaming platforms. In addition to the chatbot safeguards, the bills aim to narrow claims of the technology “act[ing] autonomously” for companies to escape liability.
SB 243 is expected to go into effect in January 2026.
There have been some reports of AI chatbots allegedly spitting out responses encouraging minors to commit self-harm or potentially creating risks to users’ mental health. Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed similar bills to California’s into law in 2024, which took effect in May, requiring AI chatbots to disclose to users that they were not speaking to a human being.
Federal actions as AI expands
In June, Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis introduced the Responsible Innovation and Safe Expertise (RISE) Act, creating “immunity from civil liability” for AI developers potentially facing lawsuits from industry leaders in “healthcare, law, finance, and other sectors critical to the economy.”
The bill received mixed reactions and was referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.