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Bill

SB 1119

Companion chatbots: children's safety.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Rebecca Bauer-Kahan and 2 co-sponsors

California bill establishes child safety requirements for companion chatbots including age verification, content controls, and data protections to prevent exploitation and dependency.

Referred to Coms. on P. & C.P. and JUD.
#companionchatbots #children'ssafety
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SB 1119

Legislative bill overview

SB 1119 proposes regulations for companion chatbots—AI conversational systems designed for extended personal interaction—with specific protections for child users. The bill is currently in early procedural stages after being introduced in February 2026 and referred to committee for assignment.

Why is this important

Companion chatbots represent an emerging technology category with growing adoption among minors, raising concerns about psychological dependency, data privacy, and potential exploitation. Without regulatory frameworks, these systems could normalize unhealthy parasocial relationships, collect sensitive personal information from children, or be manipulated for grooming purposes.

Potential points of contention

  • Defining scope: What qualifies as a "companion chatbot" versus general AI assistants, and whether the definition captures all relevant technologies or is too broad/narrow
  • Technical feasibility: Whether age verification and content filtering mechanisms are practically implementable without creating barriers to legitimate uses or massive data collection
  • Industry burden: Whether compliance costs disproportionately affect smaller developers or startups versus large tech companies with existing safety infrastructure
  • First Amendment concerns: How content restrictions on AI responses navigate free speech protections while maintaining child safety
  • Effectiveness questions: Whether regulation can meaningfully prevent determined bad actors from circumventing safeguards or if it only affects compliant developers

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

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