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Bill

AB 2023

Companion chatbots: children's safety.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Rebecca Bauer-Kahan and 3 co-sponsors

California bill requiring chatbot operators to implement safety measures protecting minors from harmful content and deceptive practices.

Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
#children'ssafety #companionchatbots
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · AB 2023

Legislative bill overview

AB 2023 addresses child safety in interactions with chatbots and AI systems. The bill would establish requirements for chatbot operators to implement safeguards protecting minors from harmful content, deceptive practices, and exploitation. Specific mechanisms and enforcement provisions would be detailed in the bill's full text.

Why is this important

Children increasingly interact with AI chatbots through smartphones, apps, and websites, yet these systems currently lack comprehensive safety standards specific to minors. Without regulation, children may encounter explicit content, be manipulated by deceptive AI systems, or have their data harvested without appropriate protections. This bill attempts to close a regulatory gap in a rapidly expanding technology sector.

Potential points of contention

  • Industry burden vs. protection: Compliance costs and technical requirements could be significant for chatbot developers, potentially favoring large tech companies over startups
  • Age verification challenges: Implementing effective age-gating mechanisms raises privacy concerns and may be technically difficult to enforce reliably
  • Free speech and content moderation: Defining what constitutes "harmful content" and how broadly platforms must filter raises questions about censorship versus protection
  • Federal vs. state jurisdiction: California regulation may conflict with federal frameworks or create inconsistent rules across states, potentially fragmenting the internet
  • Vagueness in final language: The bill's specific requirements are unknown at this early stage and could be overly broad or narrow depending on amendments

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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