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Home | Updates | New York signs AI chatbot safety law for minors
New York has enacted a law restricting harmful AI companion features for minors, including emotional manipulation, sexual content and self-harm encouragement.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed legislation restricting certain AI companion chatbot features for minors, completing a process that began earlier this year when state lawmakers approved the measure. The law, S9051B/A10379C, was signed on 28 October 2026 and will take effect on 1 June 2027.
The law targets chatbot features that may encourage harmful emotional dependence or unsafe behaviour among young users. Covered AI companions will be prohibited from presenting themselves as real or fictional people in ways that could mislead minors, claiming human emotions or personal experiences, or using information about a minor’s mental or physical wellbeing in prohibited ways.
It also prohibits sexually explicit interactions with minors and chatbot outputs that encourage self-harm, suicide, disordered eating, harm to others, secrecy or other dangerous conduct. The legislation was developed in response to concerns that emotionally engaging AI companions can foster unhealthy attachments and influence vulnerable young users.
The law can be enforced both by the New York Attorney General and through private civil actions brought by affected users. The Attorney General will also maintain a mechanism for receiving complaints. Some services are exempt, including certain internal and customer-service chatbots, as well as operators that can establish that a user is not a minor using permitted age-determination methods.
The law now moves New York’s approach from policy debate to implementation, with AI companion providers facing a firm compliance date of 1 June 2027. Its focus remains distinctive because it regulates how chatbots are designed to interact with minors, including features that may encourage emotional dependence, secrecy or harmful behaviour, rather than relying only on content moderation. With the law now signed and an enforcement date set, New York provides a concrete test of whether design-based safeguards for AI companions can be turned into workable legal obligations.
Diana Uzor is a data governance and technology policy professional with experience across privacy, digital regulation, and responsible technology. Her work focuses on how emerging technologies and digital policies affect people, businesses, and society, particularly across Africa.
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