characters such as EVE from Disney’s 2008 animated film, WALL-E, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Russellville, Ark. (AP Photo/Katie Adkins)
A bipartisan duo unveiled a bill Tuesday to regulate artificial intelligence chatbots to protect children, as legislators continue to debate rules for the fast-moving technology.
The bill, authored by Sens. John Curtis (R-UT) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), would strengthen requirements for existing rules by creating a federal framework that requires AI systems to implement child-safety-by-design, establish parental controls, avoid child-targeted advertising, and prevent the sale or sharing of children’s personal information.
It would require AI chatbot providers to implement age-verification measures using age-estimation technology to identify accounts held by children.
“AI chatbots that promote companionship pose significant risks to young and developing minds,” Schiff said in a statement.
More and more kids are using AI chatbots in their daily lives, raising fears that they could be led to self-harm or exposed to privacy or safety vulnerabilities.
“Impressionable kids need to be protected from its worst impulses—and from seeing their data misused by the companies behind them,” Schiff said.
To reduce these risks, the SAFE KIDS Act would require all AI chatbot providers to implement parental controls to monitor their children’s app use. Providers would have to actively promote these features and notify parents if the settings are modified. Additionally, parents and users would have access to training materials on using these features more effectively.
“Parents deserve confidence that AI tools are not exposing their children to harmful content, fostering unhealthy emotional dependence, or exploiting their personal information,” Curtis said in a statement.
In addition to banning advertising targeted at children, the bill requires apps to conduct and undergo assessments to evaluate existing and foreseeable risks to children and their impact on privacy and data protection.
The measure adds to a number of other bills recently introduced to impose rules on AI.
Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) and Lori Trahan (D-MA) released draft legislation earlier this month setting rules for AI companies.
HOUSE REACHES DEAL ON PORNOGRAPHY AGE VERIFICATION AND SOCIAL MEDIA PROTECTIONS FOR MINORS
The House also recently reached an agreement on Monday on major legislation that would require pornography age verification and social media protections for minors. While those measures have support from liberals who are skeptical of Big Tech companies and from conservatives worried about the effects of social media use on minors, free-speech advocates have warned that the provisions would create opportunities for unauthorized surveillance or for censorship.
In the Senate, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is expected to work toward legislation regulating minors’ use of social media.