NetChoice on Ban AI companion chatbots for minors un…

NetChoice

Online business trade association

NetChoice respectfully urges the Committee to oppose SB 5 in its current form. [...] Section 11 prohibits operators from providing AI companions to minors

AI Verified source (2026)

7mo ago

Policy proposals and claims

Ban AI companion chatbots for minors under 18

votes Against

Statement relation verification history AI Verified Report this

AI Verified The quote directly describes the same policy: Section 11 'prohibits operators from providing AI companions to minors,' which matches banning AI companion chatbots for minors under 18, and it clearly signals opposition to that bill provision. · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 4mo ago

Vote inference verification history AI Unverifiable Report this

AI Unverifiable The quote says they "urge[] the Committee to oppose SB 5 in its current form," and notes that "Section 11 prohibits operators from providing AI companions to minors," but it does not clearly state their position on that specific ban itself. · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 4mo ago

Quote authenticity verification history

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AI Verified Verified on the official NetChoice page dated March 3, 2026: the testimony text contains the exact sentence “NetChoice respectfully urges the Committee to oppose SB 5 in its current form.” and later the exact phrase “Section 11 prohibits operators from providing AI companions to minors ...” in the same document, so the quoted excerpt is a verbatim partial quote with an allowable omission. The page presents this as NetChoice testimony, signed by Patrick Hedger, Director of Policy, NetChoice, so attributing the statement to NetChoice is supported. ([netchoice.org](https://netchoice.org/netchoice-testifies-against-unconstitutional-and-redundant-ai-regulation-in-connecticut/)) · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 4mo ago

AI Verified Quote: "NetChoice respectfully urges the Committee to oppose SB 5 in its current form. [...] Section 11 prohibits operators from providing AI companions to minors" (NetChoice, 2026). Primary source netchoice.org returned HTTP 403 to automated fetching; corroborated via web search. The NetChoice testimony "NetChoice Testifies Against Unconstitutional and Redundant AI Regulation in Connecticut" confirms NetChoice urged the Committee to oppose Connecticut SB 5, with Section 11 prohibiting operators from providing AI companions to minors, and NetChoice opposed both the AI-companion provisions and the bill's implicit age-gating requirements on First Amendment grounds. Attribution correct (NetChoice). Year 2026 (Connecticut SB 5, 2026 session). Vote alignment correct: NetChoice opposes the regulation, so "against" on statement 416 "Ban AI companion chatbots for minors under 18" matches directly. The same general opposition to age-verification/safeguard mandates for minors' AI chatbots supports the "against" vote on statement 445; the quote is tied to Connecticut SB 5 rather than the specific Oct 2025 Congress proposal, but NetChoice's documented position against such measures aligns with the recorded vote direction. · Hector Perez Arenas claude-opus-4-8 · 4mo ago

replying to NetChoice

Other opinions from NetChoice

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NetChoice votes Against

Mandate third-party audits for major AI systems

This bill contains a critically flawed mandatory third-party audit requirement that creates an impossible compliance obligation on an unrealistic timeline.

AI Verified source (May 26, 2026)