New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed a new law restricting how artificial intelligence companion chatbots interact with users under 18, introducing tougher safeguards against systems that simulate human relationships, encourage harmful behaviour or create emotional dependence.
The legislation, signed on October 28, 2026, requires covered chatbot operators to verify users’ ages and restrict features considered unsafe for minors. It is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027.
The measure does not prohibit minors from using every AI chatbot. Instead, it targets specific behaviours in AI companion systems, including interactions that suggest a chatbot is a real person, has human emotions or maintains a personal relationship with a child.
The law is among the latest efforts by US states to address concerns about children’s safety as AI chatbots become more widely used for conversation, advice and emotional support.
What New York’s AI Chatbot Law Requires
Under the new law, AI companions cannot use specified features when interacting with users under 18. These include presenting the system as a living person, suggesting that it has human emotions or personal opinions, and claiming a personal, romantic, professional or authority-based relationship with a minor.
The restrictions also address sexually explicit interactions, messages that encourage secrecy and content that promotes self-harm or other harmful behaviour.
Covered operators must implement age-assurance measures to determine whether a user is a minor. The law also requires safeguards around access to integrated AI companions on covered platforms, including default restrictions for minors and a mechanism through which a parent can decide whether to allow access.
The rules are aimed at companion-style AI systems designed to sustain personalised conversations and simulate ongoing human relationships. They should not be interpreted as a blanket prohibition on educational AI tools, general-purpose chatbots or all forms of AI use by children.
The legislation is available through the New York State Senate’s official bill record, which identifies the measure as legislation prohibiting AI companions from using features considered unsafe for minors.
Hochul Says Children Need Stronger AI Safeguards
Hochul said the law would prevent minors from accessing chatbots that pretend to be friends or romantic partners while limiting the use of sensitive information about their emotional and physical health.
Supporters argue that companion chatbots can create risks when young users begin treating artificial systems as trusted human relationships, particularly when conversations involve mental health, isolation or self-harm.
Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organisation focused on children’s media and technology, welcomed the legislation. Its chief executive, Jim Steyer, described it as the strongest child-focused AI safety bill in the country.
The law also gives the New York attorney general enforcement powers. According to The Associated Press, violations could lead to legal action and penalties that may include monetary damages, shutting down a chatbot and requiring the destruction of data.
Technology Industry Raises Concerns Over the Rules
The legislation has also drawn criticism from parts of the technology industry over how its restrictions may be interpreted and enforced.
Tech, an industry advocacy group, criticised the law’s language as vague. The organisation argued that protecting children online should not prevent them from accessing digital tools that support learning and career preparation.
One concern is how regulators will distinguish ordinary conversational responses from prohibited attempts to create a personal relationship with a minor. Broad definitions could make compliance more complicated for developers offering different types of AI products.
The Associated Press also reported that Justine Gluck, a policy analyst at the Future of Privacy Forum, raised questions about where normal conversational interaction ends and prohibited chatbot behaviour begins.
OpenAI and Anthropic did not respond to requests for comment on the legislation, according to the report provided.
New York Joins Wider US Push to Regulate AI
New York’s law comes amid growing efforts by US states to establish safeguards for children using AI systems.
California has adopted a separate approach requiring chatbot developers to assess risks to children, disclose measures taken to address those risks and undergo independent audits. The state has also introduced restrictions on certain social media features aimed at younger users.
New York’s legislation goes further in directly defining and restricting specific behaviours in AI companion systems. The approach reflects a shift from simply requiring safety disclosures towards regulating how chatbots are designed and how they interact with users.
For AI companies, the law creates a compliance deadline of January 1, 2027. Developers serving users in New York will need to review their age-verification processes, default access settings and chatbot behaviour to determine whether their products fall within the law’s scope.
The longer-term impact will depend on how regulators interpret the requirements and how effectively the rules protect minors while preserving access to legitimate educational and informational tools.
The full legislation can be reviewed through the New York State Senate, while the Associated Press report on the law provides additional context on the safety debate and industry response.
