NEWS: U.S. Senate Advances Schiff-Led Kids Chatbot Safety Legislation

Washington, D.C. - The Senate Commerce Committee advanced a bipartisan series of kids' online safety bills including the Children's Health, Advancement, Trust, Boundaries, and Oversight in Technology (CHATBOT) Act, which is led by U.S. Senators Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), and John Curtis (R-Utah).

The CHATBOT Act, which passed out of committee last week, contained several key provisions from Senators Schiff and Curtis' bipartisan SAFE KIDS Actand is aimed at protecting children from the risks and harms associated with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, amid kids' growing reliance on AI chatbots for emotional support and companionship.

"It is essential that we institute commonsense guardrails on the use of AI chatbots by children and teenagers and empower parents' ability to protect their kids," said Senator Schiff. "In California and across the country, we have seen firsthand the tragic consequences of quickly evolving AI chatbots which, in the worst cases, have encouraged self-harm, emotional dependency, violence, and exploitation of the youngest Americans. This moment demands action to protect children's health and safety online, and I'm glad that the Senate Commerce Committee advanced bipartisan legislation I introduced with Senators Cruz, Schatz, and Curtis as a first step towards that goal."

"As we all know, the digital world is changing faster than parents can keep up with it. And our kids are growing up in an online environment that barely existed a few years ago. The bills we advanced are an important step toward giving families the tools and transparency they need to keep their kids safe," said Senator Curtis. "I'm especially proud to be a lead cosponsor of the CHATBOT Act with Chairman Cruz and Senators Schatz and Schiff. Chairman Cruz was collaborative throughout this process and incorporated several ideas Senator Schiff and I advanced in our SAFE KIDS Act."

The provisions adopted from the SAFE KIDS Act include:

• Requiring AI chatbots to provide regular, clear disclosures reminding users that they are interacting with artificial intelligence-not a real person;
• Prohibiting AI chatbot providers from materially assisting a minor in planning or attempting suicide;
• Prohibiting AI chatbot providers from providing obscene material to minors; and
• Requiring AI chatbot providers to notify a parent or guardian, as soon as feasibly possible, if a minor asks about committing suicide, while also directing the minor to external crisis resources.

Background: As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Schiff has worked to elevate the importance of protecting children online and addressing chatbot risks.

Following the tragic death last year of Adam Raine, a 16-year-old from Rancho Santa Margarita, California, who took his own life after months of conversations with an AI chatbot, Schiff and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to address the full range of risks and potential harms that AI chatbots pose to American children and teenagers.

Last year, Schiff and the Judiciary Committee held a hearing examining the legal gaps in protecting children on the internet with testimony from industry and academic experts

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