California Governor Gavin Newsom signed 13 bills on children's online safety. SB 1119 requires companion chatbots to operate crisis protocols for suicidal ideation, offer parental controls, undergo independent child-safety audits and conduct annual risk assessments. The wider package also bars algorithmic feeds and autoplay for users under 16.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed 13 bills on children's online safety on September 10. One of them, SB 1119, regulates companion chatbots designed to maintain an ongoing personal relationship with a user. Operators must activate crisis protocols when a child expresses suicidal ideation. AP also reported that the signed package addresses risks that AI chatbots pose to children and places safety obligations on operators.[1], [2]
The law requires companion chatbots to offer parental controls and notify a parent when a safety setting is switched off. Systems must undergo independent child-safety audits and complete annual risk assessments. Those assessments address potential harms arising from a product's design, configuration and operation with child users. The rules therefore reach beyond a response after a crisis: they also cover safety examination before a product is released and while it remains in use.[1]
SB 1119 sits inside a broader child-safety package. Newsom's announcement says it bans algorithmic feeds and autoplay for users under 16. It also limits targeted advertising and the use of school-pupil data in AI systems. AP reported that large social-media companies found negligent in harming children through their platforms could face penalties of up to $1 million per child. The signed package therefore covers both chatbots and social-media features used by children.[1], [2]
