Menu
SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
Menu

SAFE KIDS Act

Empty U.S. House of Representatives chamber with wood desks and blue carpet, for coverage of the House passing the KIDS Act.

House Passes KIDS Act With New AI Chatbot Rules for Minors

, , , , , , , ,

The sweeping online safety package combines multiple child protection proposals, including new requirements for AI chatbot providers.

 

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the KIDS Act. This broad online child safety package would establish new requirements for online platforms, strengthen privacy protections for minors, and create federal rules governing AI chatbots used by children and teenagers.

The legislation combines several previously introduced child online safety bills into a single package. Together, the bill addresses how online platforms collect and use children’s data, the safeguards they must provide for younger users, and the growing role of AI chatbots and other digital services in children’s online experiences.

For AI developers, one of the most significant sections establishes new standards for AI chatbots designed for or used by minors.

Under the bill, AI chatbots would be required to disclose that users are interacting with an AI system rather than a human. Providers also would be prohibited from representing that a chatbot is a licensed medical professional, mental health professional, attorney, or other licensed professional unless that representation is accurate.

The legislation also would require chatbot providers to maintain policies governing interactions with minors and to provide suicide prevention resources when a conversation indicates a user may be experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Beyond the AI provisions, the KIDS Act would establish a broader framework intended to make online services safer for children and teenagers by increasing platform accountability, strengthening privacy protections, and giving families greater control over young users’ online experiences.

 

The bill also includes several research and education initiatives. Among them are a National Institutes of Health study examining the effects of AI chatbots on minors’ mental health and Federal Trade Commission educational resources intended to help children, parents, and educators better understand AI chatbot technology and associated risks.

Just days before, lawmakers separately introduced the bipartisan SAFE KIDS Act, legislation focused specifically on AI chatbot safety for minors. That proposal would establish additional transparency, safety and parental control requirements for AI chatbot providers.

The House’s passage of the broader KIDS Act places AI chatbot regulation within a larger bipartisan effort to strengthen online protections for minors. If the KIDS Act becomes law, the SAFE KIDS Act will most likely become irrelevant.

The KIDS Act now advances to the Senate.

United States Capitol building in Washington, accompanying coverage of Senate legislation affecting AI chatbots used by minors, the SAFE Kids Act.

Bipartisan Senators Propose New Rules For Children’s AI Chatbot Use

, , , , , , , , , ,

The SAFE KIDS Act would require providers to identify minor users and add safeguards intended to reduce online harms.

 

Senators John Curtis (R-Utah) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) introduced the Safeguarding AI Features to Ensure Kids’ Informed Digital Safety Act, or SAFE KIDS Act. If enacted, the legislation could significantly change how children and teenagers use AI chatbots while creating new compliance requirements for providers.

Under the proposal, companies would generally have to treat users as minors unless they can determine the user is at least 18 years old. Providers could use age-estimation technology or approved age signals from operating systems and app stores.

The bill would require AI chatbot providers to:

  • Assess child-safety risks before releasing a chatbot, before releasing major updates, and at least annually thereafter
  • Offer parental controls that allow parents to manage chatbot memory settings, limit usage, restrict features, and control whether a child’s information can be used to train AI systems
  • Establish safeguards to reduce risks involving self-harm, suicide, eating disorders, unlawful activity, and other harmful interactions involving minors
  • Create crisis-response procedures for situations involving potential self-harm, suicide, or threats of violence
  • Prohibit advertising to children through AI chatbots and restrict the sale or sharing of children’s personal information without parental consent
  • Undergo annual independent child-safety audits and submit reports to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

The FTC would be responsible for enforcing the law and could seek civil penalties against companies that violate its requirements.

The SAFE KIDS Act has been introduced in the Senate and must pass both chambers of Congress before it can be sent to the president for signature.