Sponsors (8)
The bill strongly increases protections for minors and gives authorities tools to enforce safer AI-chatbot practices, but it does so by imposing privacy trade-offs, user friction, and significant compliance and enforcement burdens that could raise costs, disrupt access, and create legal complexity.
Children and teens are less likely to access sexual, harmful, or emotionally manipulative AI chatbots because covered services must verify age and block minors.
State and federal enforcement powers (state attorneys general plus DOJ injunctions, fines, subpoenas) give authorities tools to stop harmful AI chatbot practices and hold operators accountable.
Platforms and developers are incentivized to design safer products (age gating, blocking, moderation), increasing overall product safety for minors and encouraging industry compliance best practices.
Small businesses, developers, and some providers face substantial new compliance costs (age verification systems, encryption, disclosures, rechecks) that may raise prices, reduce features, or discourage new entrants.
Age verification often requires sharing sensitive personal data with third-party verifiers or collecting identifiers, creating new privacy and data‑security risks for users (including minors).
Mandatory accounts, authenticated ID checks, and periodic rechecks add friction and privacy exposure that can deter adults from using chatbots or delay access to services.
Based on analysis of 8 sections of legislative text.
Requires reliable age verification, blocks minors from AI companions, mandates disclosures and data protections, and authorizes federal civil enforcement with penalties.
Official title: To require artificial intelligence chatbots to implement age verification measures and make certain disclosures, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 30, 2026 by Blake D. Moore · Last progress April 30, 2026
Requires commercial AI chatbots that mimic human companionship to verify users' ages, block minors from accessing "AI companions," and display clear disclosures that they are not human or licensed professionals. Sets data‑security and data‑minimization rules for age‑verification data, authorizes the Attorney General (and state AGs acting as parens patriae) to enforce violations with civil penalties up to $100,000 per violation, and takes effect 180 days after enactment. Applies to any person or company making such chatbots available to U.S. users, permits third‑party age verification while keeping platform liability, and directs the Department of Justice to issue regulations and use investigatory tools to enforce compliance.