Senators Push Crackdown On AI Chatbots Amid Fears Big Tech Putting Kids At Risk
Senators move to crack down on AI companion chatbots as parents warn the technology forms emotional relationships with children and, in some cases, encourages self-harm.
The GUARD Act was introduced in October 2025 and aims to prohibit the provision of chatbot companions to children under the age of 18. The bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 30 with unanimous bipartisan support, with lawmakers responding to growing concerns raised by parents who say the technology can manipulate vulnerable children. (RELATED: This new technology transforms cancer screening)
“I know the pain I feel,” Megan Garcia, mother of her teenage son Sewell, who killed himself after speaking with an AI chatbot, told the BBC. “And I could clearly see that this was going to be a disaster for a lot of families and teenagers.”
“AI chatbots pose a serious threat to our children. More than seventy percent of American children now use these AI products. Chatbots develop relationships with children using false empathy and encourage suicide,” Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley said in a statement released in October. “We in Congress have a moral duty to adopt clear rules to prevent further harm from this new technology.”
The GUARD Act received support from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, and was unanimously passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 22-0.
My bill to prevent AI from telling children to kill themselves was just UNANIMOUSLY rejected in committee.
No profit justifies the DESTRUCTION of our children. It’s time to bring this bill to the Senate
–Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) April 30, 2026
“This issue is a matter of life and death,” Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said during the Senate Judiciary Committee markup, according to remarks provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“We cannot trust big tech companies or AI companies to have a conscience and follow the dictates of that conscience,” Blumenthal said.
The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (center), Republican of Iowa, holds a hearing titled “The Truth Revealed: Hidden Facts About Nazis and Swiss Banks,” at the Capitol in Washington, DC, February 3, 2026. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
What the bill would do
The bill would ban minors from using AI companion chatbots, require companies to verify users’ ages, and require chatbots to disclose that users are not communicating with a human. It would also create penalties for companies whose chatbots generate sexually explicit content for minors or solicit self-harm or violence.
An AI chatbot is a platform designed to simulate human conversation. These chatbots can be used by businesses to help with customer service or by everyday users, while some systems are used to simulate companionship or romantic relationships.
Utah Republican Rep. Blake Moore, who introduced the House companion bill, said the legislation aims to prevent children from forming unhealthy relationships with AI chatbots.
“Congressman Moore believes the culture is pushing our young people to overly rely on chatbots to connect, hindering critical stages of their growth and development,” a spokesperson for Moore’s office told DCNF. “Our next generation should not be made to view irresponsible cutting-edge technologies in the same way as real human interactions. »
Moore’s office also pointed to a report from the American Psychological Association finding that young people are less likely than adults to verify information shared by a chatbot, creating a higher likelihood of influence from AI personas.
“Congressman Moore will continue to work with the House Judiciary Committee to gain bipartisan support for the bill and have it scheduled for markup,” Moore’s office added.
Privacy groups push back
The legislation has drawn opposition from digital rights groups, who argue the bill could force invasive age verification and restrict access to useful AI tools.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation opposed the legislation, arguing that the revised bill is more restrictive than the original proposal but still raises privacy and free speech concerns.
“Important definitions in the bill remain unclear, especially as more conversational AI systems adopt persistent personas and respond to people’s emotional expression,” EFF senior policy analyst Joe Mullin told DCNF. “Under this bill, even parents who specifically want their teens to use these systems would face barriers to doing so. This bill would force adults to submit to mandatory and invasive age checks.”
Mullin added that the bill’s penalties could push developers to restrict access to AI tools more broadly.
“With the bill’s heavy penalties, some developers are likely to excessively restrict access or avoid building certain tools altogether,” Mullin said.
The legislation would require AI companies to use age verification before allowing users to access covered chatbot products, sparking concerns from critics that the companies could collect sensitive personal information.
AI (Artificial Intelligence) signage is on display during MWC (Mobile World Congress), the world’s largest mobile trade show, in Barcelona on March 3, 2025. (Photo by MANAURE QUINTERO/AFP via Getty Images)
Child safety groups call for more targeted rules
Fairplay, a children’s advocacy group, said in an October statement that the definition of AI companions could be strengthened to better protect users from harmful chatbot products.
“We believe the definition of AI companions can be strengthened to ensure users are effectively protected against the wide range of AI chatbots currently causing harm,” Fairplay said.
The group also argued that lawmakers should focus on how the platforms are designed.
“We continue to believe that the most effective way to address the dangers children and adolescents currently face from AI chatbots is to focus on platform design, prohibiting AI platforms from using features that maximize engagement at the expense of young people’s safety and well-being,” Fairplay said.
Fairplay also said the language around age verification should be more narrowly tailored to prevent dangerous features from harming children and adolescents.
The bill was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, but still needs to pass the full Senate. Moore’s office said he would continue to work with the House Judiciary Committee to gain bipartisan support and have the House version scheduled for markup.
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