New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday signed a law that stops minors from using AI companion chatbots, in one of the broadest US steps yet to limit consumer-facing models for under-18 users.
The New York AI chatbot measure requires operators—including OpenAI’s ChatGPT—to verify ages and curb how the interface behaves when the user is under 18. Companion-style access for minors is the core target of the signing.
What the New York AI chatbot rules require
Chatbots used by minors must not produce material that leads users to believe the AI “is human, alive, or experiences human emotions.” They also cannot suggest the bot holds a “personal relationship, professional relationship, or an authority figure role,” or present output as a “personal opinion.”
At the signing, Hochul said minors will no longer have access to chatbots that “pretend to be their friends, boyfriends and girlfriends,” and that chatbots will no longer be able to “keep sensitive information about a minor’s emotional and physical health.”
Industry pushback and safety support
Other states, including California, have already passed chatbot limits, but the New York text is described as among the broadest, and it has drawn criticism from AI firms. Tech: NYC, a tech industry advocacy group, faulted “vague language,” saying keeping children safe online “should not mean cutting them off from tools that help them learn and prepare for careers.”
OpenAI and Anthropic did not respond when asked for comment. Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that advocates for media safety, praised the bill as “the strongest kids’ AI safety bill in the country.” Chief executive Jim Steyer said companies offer chatbot features that are “dangerous, and even deadly, for kids and teens,” and that those features “will be outlawed in New York.”
What happens next
Companies that run consumer chatbots aimed at New York users will need age checks and tighter guardrails for under-18 accounts under the new statute. How each firm redesigns companion features, memory of sensitive health-related detail, and relationship-style prompts will shape what young users can still see—and what parents can still allow—on major apps.
Aasan alfaaz mein
New York ki governor ne ek qanoon sign kiya hai jo 18 se kam umar ke bachon ko AI companion chatbots use karne se rokta hai. Companies ko umar check karni hogi, jaise ChatGPT chalane wali firms. Bot ab dost, boyfriend ya girlfriend ban kar nahi dikha sakta, aur emotional ya physical health ki sensitive baatain store karne ka tareeqa bhi hadon mein aayega. Agar aapke ghar mein teen AI chat use karta hai, to yeh batata hai ke bari markets ab is tarah ke “dost” bots ko kids ke liye khatarnak samajhti hain.
