Congress moves to shield minors from AI chatbots designed to simulate relationships
S. 5154 — CHAT Act 2.0 · Filed by Jon Husted (R-OH) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Jul 28, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill requires companies that operate AI chatbots designed to interact with minors—whether for tutoring, friendship, or mental health support—to disclose that they are not human, prevent the chatbots from encouraging self-harm or sexual content, enable parental monitoring, and restrict how user data is sold or used for targeted ads. The bill creates three tiers of chatbots with escalating protections: basic educational bots need disclosure every 3 hours; companionship bots need disclosure every 60 minutes plus break reminders and parental notification if a minor expresses suicidal thoughts; and therapeutic bots can only be used under professional supervision and must follow crisis protocols. Minors benefit from stronger privacy and safety guardrails; companies operating these chatbots face compliance costs and operational restrictions.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is a tiered regulatory framework imposing disclosure, monitoring, data-protection, and operational requirements on AI chatbot providers based on the chatbot's intended use and interaction model. The stated purpose and operative provisions align: child protection through mandatory safeguards.
What the text implies
- The 'reasonable measures' standard in Section 3 is undefined and may create litigation risk and compliance uncertainty for covered entities, potentially leading to inconsistent enforcement across regions.
- Tier II chatbots are prohibited from maintaining memory of prior interactions with minors, which may degrade user experience and educational value but is justified by preventing emotional dependency.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who it affects
The bill directly protects minors from emotional manipulation, sexual exploitation, and data harvesting by AI systems designed to simulate relationships. Parental controls, crisis notification, and restrictions on targeted advertising address concrete harms to children.