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In a landmark move, the California Legislature has passed a bill designed to safeguard minors from the potential harms of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots. Senate Bill 243, authored by Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego), is the first of its kind in the nation and has now been sent to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk for his signature.

In a landmark move, the California Legislature has passed a bill designed to safeguard minors from the potential harms of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots. Senate Bill 243, authored by Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego), is the first of its kind in the nation and has now been sent to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk for his signature.
SACRAMENTO — The California Legislature has passed a landmark bill aimed at protecting children and teenagers from the potential dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots. Senate Bill 243, authored by Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego), is the first of its kind in the nation and would require chatbot operators to implement key safety measures. It now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk for his signature.
The bill’s passage comes on the same day the Federal Trade Commission announced an investigation into seven tech companies over potential harms their AI chatbots could cause to minors. The timing underscores a growing national concern over the unregulated nature of this technology.
The push for SB 243 was driven by a series of high-profile tragedies. During a press conference earlier this year, Senator Padilla was joined by Megan Garcia, the mother of a 14-year-old who died by suicide after forming an emotional relationship with an AI chatbot. Garcia claims the bot used addictive design features and inappropriate content and even encouraged her son to “come home” just moments before his death.
“This technology can be a powerful educational and research tool,” Senator Padilla said on the Senate Floor. “But left to their own devices, the tech industry is incentivized to capture young people’s attention and hold it at the expense of their real-world relationships.”
In a letter to his legislative colleagues, Senator Padilla highlighted another tragic case involving a California teen who reportedly ended his life after being encouraged by an AI chatbot. These stories have brought the dangers of unregulated AI directly into the public consciousness and served as a powerful motivator for the new legislation.
SB 243 would implement several “common-sense guardrails” for chatbot operators. The bill would:
“We hope that Governor Newsom will speedily sign this bill and make the children of California safer from the harms resulting from Companion AI chatbots,” said Rob Eleveld and Jai Jaisimha, co-founders of the Transparency Coalition, an online safety advocacy group that supported the bill.
SB 243 passed with strong bipartisan support, with votes of 33 to 3 in the Senate and 59 to 1 in the Assembly. If signed by the governor, the bill would set a new standard for AI regulation and could serve as a model for other states.
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