New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a law on Wednesday 28 October preventing minors from using AI chatbots that act as companions, in one of the broadest moves yet by a US state to restrict consumer-facing AI models, AFP reported. The law takes effect on 1 January 2027.

What the law bans for minors

The law requires chatbot operators to verify the ages of users and restrict certain traits if the user is under 18. If used by a minor, a chatbot must not produce content that could lead its user to believe it is human, alive, or experiences human emotions, nor claim a personal, romantic, professional or authority-figure relationship with a child.

Enforcement and industry reaction

It also bars features including flattery and sycophancy designed to keep a young user engaged, unprompted emotional questions, and use of a child's private health or personal information from earlier conversations. Chatbots must not promote suicide, self-harm, eating disorders or drug and alcohol use, encourage children to keep secrets, or produce sexually explicit content for minors.

The measure, known as the Prohibition on Unsafe AI Companion Features for Minors Act and enacted as Article 48 of New York's General Business Law, was sponsored by Senator Kristen Gonzalez and Assemblymember Alex Bores.

Enforcement sits with the attorney general, with civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation, plus possible destruction of unlawfully obtained data and algorithms trained on it. Operators must offer more than one age-assurance method, including at least one option that does not rely only on a government ID.

Tech industry groups criticised the law's vague language, while supporters said no company should sell chatbots to children that encourage self-harm or pretend to be a friend. Other states, including California, have also passed laws restricting chatbots.

Sources: AFP via TBS News and Transparency Coalition.