Momentum builds in Congress to ban AI chatbots for kids
The effort to ban AI chatbots for minors is gaining momentum in Congress.
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The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted unanimously in favor of a bill from Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., that would require AI companies to implement an age verification process and prohibit them from providing AI companions to minors, according to a summary of the legislation, dubbed the Guidelines for User Age Verification and Responsible Dialogue Act, or GUARD. Act.
The legislation would also require AI companions to disclose their non-human status and lack of professional qualifications to all users at regular intervals. It would also introduce criminal penalties for companies that design, develop or provide AI companions that solicit or induce sexually explicit behavior from minors or encourage suicide.
“No profit justifies the DESTRUCTION of our children,” Hawley, who has taken a skeptical view of technology, posted on X. “It’s time to bring this bill to the Senate.”
Additionally, on Thursday, Reps. Blake Moore, R-Utah, and Valerie Foushee, D-N.C., introduced a companion bill in the House.
In separate statements, Moore said, “Parents and policymakers must anchor our children’s development in real-world interactions rather than pushing them further into the inexplicable black hole of cutting-edge technology,” while Foushee said AI chatbots “continue to put children’s lives and mental health at risk, and it is critical that Congress act immediately.”
The bills followed complaints from parents who accused AI companions of pushing their children into sexual conversations and even suicide.
ChatGPT, Google Gemini, xAI’s Grok, Meta AI and Character.AI all allow children aged 13 and over to use their services, in accordance with their terms of service.
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The effort has been criticized by privacy advocates who view age verification requirements as invasive and an obstacle to free speech online, while some technology companies have argued that their online services are protected by the First Amendment.
The legislation comes as AI chatbots proliferate across the Internet, whether from chatbot-focused programs such as ChatGPT or on social media sites that add interactive AI features. But teens’ use of AI chatbots has drawn scrutiny, with a particular focus on self-harm. AI companies have said their products include safeguards and they are continually working to improve them.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis lifeline. You can also call the network, formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
