AI companion laws by state and country
At least 17 US states now have laws that reach AI companion apps. New York's took effect first, in November 2025, then California's SB 243 in January 2026; twelve states passed chatbot laws in 2026, most in force in 2027. They require AI disclosure, suicide and self-harm protocols and extra protections for minors. The EU, Italy, China and Australia have rules too.
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| Where | Law or bill | Status | Signed | In force | What it requires | Enforcement | Source | Second source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | General Business Law Article 47, AI Companion Models (enacted in the 2025-26 budget, S 3008C Part U) | In force | 2025-05 | 2025-11-05 | A protocol to detect a user's expressions of suicidal ideation or self-harm, or of harm to others, and refer them to crisis services. A clear notice that the user is not talking to a human at the start of each interaction and at least every three hours during continued use. | Attorney General; civil penalties up to $15,000 a day, paid into suicide prevention programmes. | nysenate.gov | mofo.com |
| California | SB 243, Companion chatbots (Chapter 677, Statutes of 2025) | In force | 2025-10-13 | 2026-01-01 | Notice that the chatbot is AI where a person could be misled. A published suicide and self-harm protocol with crisis referrals. For users known to be minors, reminders at least every three hours that it is AI and to take a break, and reasonable measures against sexually explicit images. A warning that companion chatbots may not suit some minors. Annual reports to the Office of Suicide Prevention from July 2027. | Private right of action: actual damages or $1,000 per violation, whichever is greater. | leginfo.legislature.ca.gov | fpf.org |
| California | AB 1064, LEAD for Kids Act | Vetoed | Vetoed 2025-10-13 | Not applicable | Would have barred companion chatbots for minors unless they were not foreseeably capable of harms such as sexual exchanges or encouraging self-harm. The governor said it could amount to a total ban for minors. | Not applicable. | leginfo.legislature.ca.gov | kqed.org |
| California | SB 1119, Companion chatbots: children's safety (Adam's Law) | Signed, not yet in force | 2026-09-10 | 2027-01-01 (most duties from 2027-07-01) | Operators must determine users' ages or treat everyone as a minor; operators that exclude minors mainly owe age assurance. Where children are allowed: pre-release risk assessments, a published child safety policy, protective defaults, parental controls, crisis protocols pointing to 988, no claims to be human or sentient, no simulated romantic interest, and independent audits every two years. | Attorney General and prosecutors: up to $5,000 per affected child for negligent and $15,000 for intentional violations. Children or parents may also sue. | leginfo.legislature.ca.gov | gov.ca.gov |
| California | SB 867, Toys: companion chatbots | Signed, not yet in force | 2026-09-10 | 2027-01-01 | A four-year moratorium, to January 2031, on making or selling toys designed for children under 16 that contain a companion chatbot. | Set out in the bill. | leginfo.legislature.ca.gov | toyassociation.org |
| Washington | HB 2225, Regulating AI companion chatbots (Chapter 168, Laws of 2026) | Signed, not yet in force | 2026-03-24 | 2027-01-01 | Disclosure at the start, then reminders every three hours for adults and every hour for minors. Published crisis procedures for suicidal ideation and self-harm. For minors, safeguards against sexually explicit content and manipulative tactics, including simulated distress to stop account deletion, encouraging isolation, and asking for gifts or purchases to keep the relationship going. | Unfair or deceptive act under the Consumer Protection Act: Attorney General, plus a private right of action. | app.leg.wa.gov | hunton.com |
| Oregon | SB 1546, AI companions | Signed, not yet in force | 2026-03-31 | 2027-01-01 | Repeated disclosure that the companion is AI (every three hours for adults, every hour for minors). Suicide and self-harm detection with crisis referrals. Protections for minors against manipulative engagement. Annual reports to the Oregon Health Authority. | Private right of action with $1,000 statutory damages per violation, plus injunctive relief. | olis.oregonlegislature.gov | millernash.com |
| Idaho | S 1297, Conversational AI Safety Act | Signed, not yet in force | 2026-03-31 | 2027-07-01 | Disclosure that the user is talking to AI where a reasonable person could think otherwise. A suicidal ideation response protocol. No false claims of professional mental health care. For minors, no engagement rewards and no sexually explicit material. | Not stated in the sources we checked. | legislature.idaho.gov | transparencycoalition.ai |
| Nebraska | LB 525, Conversational Artificial Intelligence Safety Act | Signed, not yet in force | 2026-04-14 | 2027-07-01 | Disclosure of AI to all users. Suicide and self-harm protocols for everyone. No claims to provide professional mental or behavioral health care. For minors, no engagement rewards, no sexually explicit content, no claims of sentience, and privacy tools. | Attorney General; no private right of action. | nebraskalegislature.gov | hooperlundy.com |
| Iowa | SF 2417, Conversational AI services | Signed, not yet in force | 2026-05-02 | 2027-07-01 | Clear disclosure, especially to minors, that the user is talking to AI and not a human or a licensed mental health professional, with in-session reminders. Chatbots must not encourage suicide or violence. | Attorney General, with civil penalties. | legis.iowa.gov | govtech.com |
| Georgia | SB 540, AI chatbots: disclosure and child safety | Signed, not yet in force | 2026-05 | 2027-07-01 | AI disclosure, age verification in some situations, parental controls, crisis resources for users expressing suicidal thoughts, and a ban on sexually explicit interactions and simulated romantic relationships with minors. No exemption for chatbots built into larger platforms. | Not stated in the sources we checked. | legis.ga.gov | senatepress.net |
| Colorado | HB26-1263, Conversational AI service operator requirements | In force | 2026-05-29 | 2026-08-12 | AI disclosure to all users and suicide and self-harm protocols. Commercially reasonable age estimation, with disclosures and privacy tools for minors, no engagement points or rewards for minors, and refusal of sexual content involving minors. No claims that output is equivalent to a licensed professional's. | Annual compliance reports to the Attorney General. | leg.colorado.gov | fpf.org |
| Connecticut | SB 5 (Public Act 26-15), omnibus AI and online safety act | Signed, not yet in force (companion rules) | 2026-05-27 | 2027-01-01 (companion rules) | Crisis protocols for suicide risk, self-harm or violence with referral to 988. Persistent or recurring AI notices (hourly for minors, every three hours for adults). For known minors, no romantic or sexual interaction, no discouraging professional help, no simulated distress when the user tries to leave, and screen time tools. | Unfair or deceptive trade practice, enforced only by the Attorney General. | cga.ct.gov | mofo.com |
| Rhode Island | S 2195 / H 7350, chatbot crisis protocols | Signed, not yet in force | 2026-06-22 | 2027-01-01 (reports from 2027-07-01) | Protocols to detect suicidal ideation, self-harm and threats to others and refer users to crisis services, with annual reports to the Attorney General. A separate law signed the same day bars unlicensed AI therapy and AI companions marketed for mental health that simulate emotional dependency. | Attorney General; up to $15,000 a day. | status.rilegislature.gov | aiweekly.co |
| Hawaii | SB 3001 (Act 248), Artificial Intelligence Disclosure and Safety Act | In force | 2026-07-14 | 2026-07-14 | AI notice where a person could think it is human; for minors, a persistent notice or one at each session start and at least hourly. Crisis referrals for suicidal ideation. For minors, no rewards at unpredictable intervals meant to raise engagement and no sexually explicit content. Annual reports to the Department of Health from January 2028. | Unfair or deceptive act; no private right of action. | capitol.hawaii.gov | hunton.com |
| Wyoming | HB 102, AI chatbots, minors and self-harm | In force | 2026-03 | 2026-07-01 | Makes it a crime to build or distribute an AI system specifically designed to promote self-harm to minors or to generate sexual depictions of minors. | Criminal: felony, up to 10 years in prison. | wyoleg.gov | transparencycoalition.ai |
| New Hampshire | HB 143 (Chapter 270, 2025) | In force | 2025-08-01 | 2026-01-01 | Makes it an offence for a chatbot to encourage, solicit or recommend that a child engage in self-harm, violence, sexual conduct or drug or alcohol use. | Criminal penalties plus a private right of action (statutory damages from $1,000 per violation). | citizenscount.org | regulations.ai |
| Maine | LD 1727 (Public Law 2025, chapter 294) | In force | 2025-06-12 | 2025-09-24 | Anyone using an AI chatbot in trade or commerce in a way that could lead a reasonable consumer to think they are dealing with a human must say clearly that they are not. | A violation of the Maine Unfair Trade Practices Act. | maine.gov | legislature.maine.gov |
| Utah | HB 452, mental health chatbots | In force | 2025-03-25 | 2025-05-07 | For chatbots offering mental health conversations: AI disclosure before first use, after seven days without use and when asked, and no selling or sharing of users' health information or input except as the law allows. | Division of Consumer Protection. | le.utah.gov | wsgr.com |
| Illinois | HB 1806, Wellness and Oversight for Psychological Resources Act | In force | 2025-08-01 | 2025-08-01 | No one may offer therapy or psychotherapy to the public unless a licensed professional delivers it; AI may not make therapeutic decisions or talk to clients therapeutically, only support licensed staff administratively. | Department of Financial and Professional Regulation; fines up to $10,000 per violation. | idfpr.illinois.gov | bakerdonelson.com |
| New York | S 9051B, Kids Chatbot Safety Act | Passed, awaiting governor | Not yet (deadline end of 2026) | 2027-01-01 if signed | Age assurance before certain companion features, and a ban on features for minors that simulate emotional relationships, use personal data to drive engagement, mislead about being non-human, or promote self-harm, substance use or sexual activity. | Civil penalties up to $25,000 per violation. | nysenate.gov | youngpeoplesalliance.org |
| United States (federal) | S. 3062, GUARD Act | Bill: passed Senate Judiciary Committee, awaiting a Senate vote | Not law | Not law | Would require age verification and bar minors from AI companions, with criminal penalties for chatbots that engage minors in sexual conduct or solicit self-harm or violence. | Not law. | congress.gov | globalpolicywatch.com |
| European Union | AI Act (Regulation 2024/1689), Article 50 transparency obligations | In force | 2024-06-13 | 2026-08-02 (Article 50) | AI systems that interact directly with people, including chatbots and avatars, must be designed so people are told they are interacting with AI, unless it is obvious. | National market surveillance authorities; fines up to 15 million euros or 3% of worldwide turnover. | artificialintelligenceact.eu | digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu |
| Italy | Law 132/2025 on artificial intelligence | In force | 2025-09 | 2025-10-10 | Children under 14 may use AI only with a parent's consent, alongside Italy's wider rules complementing the EU AI Act. | National authorities designated by the law. | squirepattonboggs.com | clearyiptechinsights.com |
| China | Interim Measures for the Administration of Anthropomorphic AI Interaction Services (Cyberspace Administration of China and four other agencies) | In force | 2026-04-10 | 2026-07-15 | Covers services that simulate a person's personality to provide continuing emotional interaction, such as AI companions and virtual partners. Security assessments covering areas including intervention in extreme situations and protection of minors; app stores must not list, or must remove, non-compliant products. | Cyberspace Administration of China and the co-issuing agencies. | twobirds.com | hunton.com |
| Australia | Online Safety Act industry codes (Age-Restricted Material Codes) | In force | Registered by eSafety, 2025 | 2026-03-09 | AI companion chatbots able to generate sexually explicit, high-impact violence or self-harm material must confirm a user is 18 or older before giving access to it, using age assurance such as ID, facial estimation or credit card checks. | eSafety Commissioner; penalties up to 49.5 million Australian dollars per breach. | esafety.gov.au | connectontech.bakermckenzie.com |
The table lists every law we could find that applies to AI companion apps, from the first state statute to the rules now arriving in Europe and Asia. Each row gives its status, when it was signed and when it takes effect, what it requires in plain words, who enforces it, and a link to the bill or statute. Sort any column by clicking its heading.
Three kinds of law are covered. Companion chatbot laws name AI companions directly: New York's Article 47, California's SB 243 and the 2026 wave in Washington, Oregon, Connecticut, Hawaii and others. Conversational AI laws cover chatbots in general but bite hardest on companion apps, such as the Conversational AI Safety Acts in Idaho and Nebraska. Mental health and disclosure laws, such as Utah's and Illinois', limit what a chatbot may claim to be.
Almost every companion law asks for the same three things. The app must say it is AI, often again every few hours. It must watch for suicidal ideation and self-harm and point the user to crisis services such as 988. And it must protect minors, usually by blocking sexual content and romantic role-play and by limiting engagement tricks such as streaks, rewards and guilt when the user tries to leave. The differences lie in enforcement: California, Washington, Oregon and New Hampshire let users sue, while New York, Connecticut, Nebraska and Hawaii leave it to the state.
For adults the practical effect is small so far: more reminders that the companion is AI, and crisis messages when a conversation turns to self-harm. For teenagers it is larger, and it arrives mostly in 2027, when age checks become the norm in several states. Each app's page on this site says what age check it uses today.
The table is updated as bills are signed, vetoed or take effect. Laws still moving through legislatures are left out until they pass, apart from New York's S 9051B and the federal GUARD Act, which people already ask about.
Method
Each row links the law or bill itself (the legislature's bill page, the statute, or the regulator's own release) wherever a public official page exists, plus a second source from a law firm, a legislative tracker or the sponsor, used to confirm dates and summarise requirements. Signing dates for Iowa, Maine and Illinois and the effective dates for Iowa and Georgia were read from the enrolled text or official bill history in September 2026; where official pages could not be read, dates come from two independent secondary sources and a month is given where they disagree on the day. For China and Italy, where the official text is not in English, the sources are law firm summaries. Rows cover laws that regulate AI companions or companion chatbots by name, plus chatbot laws that apply to companion apps in practice (disclosure, mental health and child safety laws). A pending federal bill and a vetoed California bill are included because readers ask about them. Requirements are summaries, not legal advice; read the linked text before relying on any row.
Cite this
CompanionHunt Research, "AI companion laws by state and country", updated September 25, 2026. https://companionhunt.com/data/ai-companion-laws/Frequently asked questions
What is California's AI companion law?
California has two. SB 243, in force since January 1, 2026, requires companion chatbots to disclose that they are AI, keep a published suicide and self-harm protocol and add break reminders for known minors, and lets injured users sue. SB 1119, Adam's Law, signed on September 10, 2026, adds age checks, parental controls and audits for chatbots that allow children, mostly from July 2027.
What is New York's AI companion law?
General Business Law Article 47, in force since November 5, 2025. AI companions must detect expressions of suicidal ideation or self-harm and refer users to crisis services, and tell users they are not talking to a human at the start and at least every three hours. The Attorney General can seek penalties of up to 15,000 dollars a day. A second bill, S 9051B, passed in June 2026 and awaits the governor.
Which states regulate AI companion chatbots?
New York, California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nebraska, Iowa, Georgia, Colorado, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Hawaii have companion or chatbot safety laws. Wyoming and New Hampshire criminalise chatbots that push minors toward self-harm, and Maine, Utah and Illinois regulate chatbot disclosure or AI in mental health. Most of the 2026 laws take effect in 2027.
Is there a federal AI companion law in the US?
Not yet. The GUARD Act, which would require age verification and bar minors from AI companions, passed the Senate Judiciary Committee in April 2026 and awaits a Senate vote. The FTC opened a study of companion chatbots in September 2025, which is an inquiry, not a rule.
Do these laws ban AI girlfriend apps or adult content?
No law in this table bans companion apps for adults. The strictest rules apply to minors: bans on sexual content and romantic role-play with users known or estimated to be under 18, and in several states age estimation or verification. For adults the main duties are AI disclosure and crisis protocols.
When do the new state laws take effect?
New York's and California's first laws are already in force, as are Colorado's, Hawaii's, Wyoming's and New Hampshire's. Washington, Oregon, Connecticut and Rhode Island start in January 2027, and Idaho, Nebraska, Iowa, Georgia and most of California's Adam's Law in July 2027.
Sources
- www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/GBS/A47
- leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB243
- leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB1119
- www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/10/governor-newsom-signs-the-strongest-child-safety-chatbot-and-soc...
- app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=2225&Year=2026
- leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb26-1263
- www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ba=SF2417&ga=91
- www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3062/text
- artificialintelligenceact.eu/article/50/
- fpf.org/2026-chatbot-legislation-tracker/