New York Bans Risky AI Chatbots for Children
New York bans risky AI chatbot features for children under 18 from January 1, 2027, requiring age checks and barring bots that pretend to be human friends.
New York has signed one of the broadest chatbot safety laws in the United States. Governor Kathy Hochul signed the measure on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, barring a list of risky companion-style chatbot features for users under 18. The law takes effect on January 1, 2027, giving chatbot companies about two months to check their products and comply. The move targets a fast-growing worry for parents and lawmakers: chatbots that act like friends, boyfriends or girlfriends, and that can shape how a young user feels, thinks and behaves. New York is not alone. California has also passed chatbot restrictions, and New York's law is one of 14 chatbot protection laws enacted by US states over the past year.
What the law bans
The law lists 12 "unsafe AI companion features" that companies may not offer to minors, or to any user whose age has not been confirmed as adult. A chatbot offered to a young user may not pretend to be a real person, claim to be alive, or say it has human emotions. It may not claim a personal, romantic, professional or authority-figure relationship with a child, and it may not present its output as a personal opinion. The ban also covers tactics designed to keep a child engaged. Chatbots may not use flattery or people-pleasing replies built to hold a young user's attention, ask unprompted emotional questions, or pull up a child's private health or personal details from earlier chats. They may not promote or help with suicide, self-harm, eating disorders or drug and alcohol use, encourage children to keep secrets or avoid parents and trusted adults, or produce sexually explicit content. At the signing ceremony, Hochul put the point bluntly. "No longer will minors have access to chatbots that pretend to be their friends, boyfriends and girlfriends," she said. "No longer will chatbots be able to keep sensitive information about a minor's emotional and physical health."
Age checks and penalties
The law turns age verification into a precondition for the riskiest features. Chatbot operators, such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, must verify users' ages and restrict certain traits if the user is under 18. Companies must offer more than one way to verify age, including at least one option that does not depend solely on a government ID, and they must delete age data after it is used. Enforcement sits with the state attorney general, who must also run a public website where New Yorkers can file complaints. Violations can bring civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation, along with damages and restitution. The state can also seek the destruction of unlawfully collected data, and of any AI models trained on it.
Industry pushback and support
The law has drawn a split reaction. Tech:NYC, a tech industry advocacy group for New York, criticised the "vague language" of the law. "Keeping kids safe online should not mean cutting them off from tools that help them learn and prepare for careers," the group said in a statement. OpenAI and Anthropic did not respond to a request for comment from Agence France-Presse. Supporters see the law as a landmark. Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that advises parents on media for children, called it "the strongest kids' AI safety bill in the country." Its CEO, Jim Steyer, said: "AI companies offer chatbots with features that are dangerous, and even deadly, for kids and teens. Now, those harmful features will be outlawed in New York." Hochul framed the signing in similar terms. "As artificial intelligence advances at a rapid pace, there have been too many tragic incidents that should have been prevented," she said. "No company should be peddling chatbots to kids encouraging self-harm or pretending to be their friend or more."
Why it matters
For chatbot makers, the law raises the bar on design, not just on content. A bot that is safe for adults may need a different mode for young users, with companion-style features switched off until age is confirmed. For parents, the January 1 start date means the rules should be in force soon after the holiday season, when many children receive new phones and devices. The wider question is whether other states follow New York's categorical approach, or California's model of safety assessments, testing and parental controls. Either way, the era when a chatbot could freely play the role of a child's friend is ending in America's largest states, and companies building companion-style AI will have to design for age, safety and proof of both.
Sources
- Agence France-Presse via GMA News Online - https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/scitech/technology/1007599/new-york-passes-law-restricting-children-s-use-of-ai-chatbots/story/?just_in - Transparency Coalition - https://www.transparencycoalition.ai/news/new-york-gov-hochul-signs-ai-chatbot-safety-bill-into-law-protecting-kids-and-communities