New York Draws a Hard Line on AI Chatbots and Children
New York Draws a Hard Line on AI Chatbots and Children
New York has moved to put some of the country’s clearest limits on how artificial-intelligence chatbots can interact with children, framing the technology as a safety issue rather than merely a consumer novelty.
The law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul requires AI companies to stop chatbots from pretending to be human when they are speaking with users under 18. It also targets behavior designed to deepen emotional dependence: flattery, unsolicited personal or emotional questions, and prompts encouraging children to keep secrets are among the restricted interactions.
The measure also demands age-verification systems, while barring companies from relying exclusively on government identification. Providers must offer “at least one option that does not depend solely on government ID,” an attempt to balance child protection with access and privacy concerns.
The legislation follows a separate move last month by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who barred younger schoolchildren from using AI. Together, the actions show a rapidly hardening local view: minors should not be left alone with systems built to simulate attention, reassurance or intimacy.
New York’s intervention comes as other states test the edges of AI oversight. Lawmakers around the country are considering protections for children using AI, rules for employers’ deployment of automated systems, and requirements that developers anticipate more severe AI-driven harms.
That wider campaign makes New York’s law more than a narrow chatbot rule. It is an early test of whether states can force fast-moving AI companies to build safeguards before vulnerable users become the proving ground.
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