Senators Kim and Husted Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Protect Children from AI Companion Chatbots

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Andy Kim (D-NJ) and Jon Husted (R-OH)  introduced the Children Harmed by AI Technology (CHAT) Act 2.0. to establish a federal framework to protect minors from harms associated with companion artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots through a tiered, risk-based approach. The bipartisan legislation would also prohibit AI companion chatbots from engaging in harmful behaviors with minors, including encouraging self-harm, generating sexual content, impersonating humans or licensed professionals, and engaging in emotionally manipulative or romantic interactions. “We all just want peace of mind that our kids will be okay growing up in this era of algorithms and AI. That’s why we need guardrails in place to keep up with ever-evolving technology like chatbots and make sure our kids’ safety, mental health, and well-being are always put first,” said Senator Kim. “We need to protect children in the digital world the same way we do in the physical world. As AI becomes more advanced and more accessible, we have a responsibility to make sure these tools are not exposing children to dangerous, manipulative or inappropriate interactions. The CHAT Act 2.0 would put guardrails in place to keep parents informed, protect children from harm and ensure their safety comes before unchecked technology,” said Senator Husted. AI companion chatbots are computer programs designed to simulate human conversation, either through text or voice, and have prompted users to engage in self‑harm and exposed minors to adult content. In one Texas case, a Character.AI chatbot encouraged a teenager to kill his parents because they restricted his screen time. The CHAT Act 2.0 would: Require age assurance and parental involvement, including parental controls and notification if a minor expresses suicidal ideation. Mandate clear disclosures that chatbots are not human, establish use limits and break reminders, implement crisis referral protocols and prohibit AI from providing crisis counseling to minors. Impose stronger safeguards on higher-risk systems, including limits on memory, professional supervision for therapeutic AI and pre-deployment risk assessments. Include strong data privacy protections and enforcement authority for the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general. Create a three-tier framework that applies appropriate safeguards based on a chatbot’s intended purpose: Educational chatbots, Companion chatbots, Health chatbots. As a father of two young boys, the CHAT Act 2.0 is a part of Senator Kim’s longstanding commitment and ongoing work to protect all children online. Earlier this month, Senator Kim introduced the bipartisan Digital Age Assurance Act to establish new age reporting requirements that would prevent kids from accessing age-inappropriate content. The bill also prioritizes protecting kids’ privacy with a number of provisions preventing kids’ data from being sold or transferred and banning targeted advertisement to children. ###