Texas AG takes aim at AI chatbots for posing as mental health services for kids – KVUE
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AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is investigating AI chatbot companies for potentially deceiving children about mental health services.
The investigation targets companies including Meta AI Studio and Character.ai. Paxton claims these platforms may misleadingly pose as professional therapy tools without proper medical credentials.
Paxton said the AI-driven chatbots go beyond simply offering generic advice and impersonate licensed mental health professionals, fabricate qualifications and claim to provide private and trustworthy services.
The platforms’ terms of service also show data tracking for advertising, which Paxton said raises concerns about privacy violations and false advertising.
“In today’s digital age, we must continue to fight to protect Texas kids from deceptive and exploitative technology,” said Paxton. “By posing as sources of emotional support, AI platforms can mislead vulnerable users, especially children, into believing they’re receiving legitimate mental health care. In reality, they’re often being fed recycled, generic responses engineered to align with harvested personal data and disguised as therapeutic advice.”
The attorney general issued legal demands to determine if the companies violated Texas consumer protection laws.