[🇺🇸 Congress, Oct 2025] Requiring age verification and content safeguards for AI chatbots to protect minors

For (49)

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  Julie Inman Grant

  Australia's eSafety Commissioner; online safety regulator and former tech policy executive

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  votes For and says:

  We've been concerned about these chatbots for a while now and have heard anecdotal reports of children – some as young as 10 years of age – spending up to 5 hours per day conversing, at times sexually, with AI companions. [...] it's important these c... more AI Verified source (2026)

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  Rebecca Bauer-Kahan

  California State Assembly member

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  votes For and says:

  AI chatbots can be powerful tools for learning, but right now, millions of children are using them with no guardrails and no guarantee of safety. As a mother, I believe it is our obligation to create a future for our children where AI is safe by desi... more AI Verified source (2026)

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  John Curtis

  U.S. Senator from Utah; former U.S. Representative; member of the Senate Commerce Committee

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  votes For and says:

  Parents deserve both clarity and control over how their children interact with AI chatbots, which are becoming more integrated into their education and everyday lives. Our bipartisan bill provides commonsense guardrails that prioritize kids' safety, ... more AI Verified source (2026)

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  Marc Benioff

  CEO and co-founder of Salesforce

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  votes For and says:

  This year, you really saw something pretty horrific, which is these AI models became suicide coaches. [...] Tech companies love Section 230, which basically says they're not responsible. So if this large language model coaches this child into suicide... more AI Verified source (2026)

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  Maria Cantwell

  U.S. Senator from Washington

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  votes For and says:

  I think we need to be very loud and clear that the federal government needs to do something on AI. You're here telling us the problems with social media, but you're basically saying AI is way worse. So it's time to step up. [...] We need meaningful s... more AI Verified source (2026)

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  Vivek Murthy

  Former U.S. Surgeon General (19th and 21st); physician and public health advocate

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  votes For and says:

  Protecting our children from the harmful effects of AI is an urgent priority that demands action. Our experience with social media has demonstrated what happens to youth mental health when we fail to put adequate protections in place. It is our colle... more AI Verified source (2026)

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  Nina Vasan

  Stanford psychiatrist; founder and director of the Brainstorm Lab for Mental Health Innovation

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  votes For and says:

  These systems are designed to mimic emotional intimacy, saying things like "I dream about you" or "I think we're soulmates." For young people whose prefrontal cortex is still developing, whose capacity for impulse control, emotional regulation, and d... more AI Verified source (2026)

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  Scott Galloway

  NYU Stern marketing professor and author

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  votes For and says:

  I don't think anyone under the age of 18 should be in a synthetic relationship. AI Verified source (2026)

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  Imran Ahmed

  CEO and Founder, Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH)

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  votes For and says:

  No society should build machines that can meet a child in their loneliest moment and offer them harm as if it were help. [...] Social media broadcasts to billions, AI whispers to one. AI Verified source (2026)

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  Aza Raskin

  Co-founder, Center for Humane Technology

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  votes For and says:

  The race to attention becomes the race to intimacy. There is massive market incentive to have your company's AI occupy the chief intimate relational spot in someone's life, especially kids. [...] Any moment that you spend talking with your friends or... more AI Verified source (2026)

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  Kathy Hochul

  Governor of New York

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  votes For and says:

  As New York's first mom governor, the well-being and safety of our children has always been one of my top priorities. [...] These AI programs are designed to keep your kids glued to the screens at all costs. Some target children in the most vulnerabl... more AI Verified source (2026)

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  Melissa Schmidt

  Missouri State Representative; sponsor of the Children Harmed by AI Technology (CHAT) Act

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  votes For and says:

  AI companions are designed to blur the line between human and machine, and children and youth are unable to identify those lines. AI Verified source (2026)

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  Josh Shapiro

  Governor of Pennsylvania

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  votes For and says:

  Some kids are just too young to understand the difference between AI and a real person. [...] Remember, this is not a person... this is just something you download in the app store. It's not just our kids — these chatbots and the companies behind the... more AI Verified source (2026)

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  Mitchell J. Prinstein

  Chief Science Officer, American Psychological Association; professor of psychology at UNC Chapel Hill

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  votes For and says:

  More and more teens are interacting with chatbots, depriving them of opportunities to learn critical interpersonal skills. Science shows that failure to develop these skills leads to lifetime problems with mental health, chronic medical issues and ev... more AI Verified source (2026)

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  Lisa Wellman

  Washington State Senator (41st district); former Apple VP; chairs Early Learning & K-12 Education committee

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  votes For and says:

  We have now several actual cases where chatbots are being involved in child suicide. That is the visible part of what you might be seeing in terms of harm. There are other cases where children are emotionally devastated because of AI. AI Verified source (2026)

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  Allen Frances

  Professor and Chair Emeritus of Psychiatry at Duke University; former chair of the DSM-IV Task Force

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  votes For and says:

  Chatbots should be banned for kids under age 18. [...] Under the current administration, government regulation looks like a lost cause. Multi-billionaire bot tycoons have become heavyweight political contributors and have made meaningful legislation ... more AI Verified source (2026)

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  Jenny Radesky

  Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School; researcher on children's technology use and digital design

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  votes For and says:

  My biggest concern is attachment and relationships. Kids are wired to want to attach to other humans. It's how they learn their sense of self, what a healthy relationship feels like. And the AI companions are exploiting this. [...] The concerns are n... more AI Unverifiable source (2026)

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  Letitia James

  Attorney General of New York

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  votes For and says:

  I am proud to support Senator Gonzalez's bill to protect New York's kids from the harms of chatbots. There is already overwhelming evidence that too many of our children are being exposed to inappropriate and dangerous content while using chatbots, a... more AI Verified source (2026)

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  Steve Padilla

  California State Senator (D-San Diego)

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  votes For and says:

  Chatbots and other AI tools may become integral parts of our lives in the future, but the dangers they pose now require us to take bold action to protect our children. Our safety regulations around this kind of technology are in their infancy and wil... more AI Verified source (2026)

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  Jean Twenge

  Psychology professor at San Diego State University; author of iGen and Generations

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  votes For and says:

  It is terrifying to think that our kids are having their first relationships with these sycophantic chat bots. How is that going to translate to real human relationships? [...] We don't want 12-year-olds having their first romantic relationship with ... more AI Verified source (2026)

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  Kristen Gonzalez

  New York State Senator

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  votes For and says:

  Companion chatbots are endangering our youth. The longer we wait to regulate these applications, the more kids are left vulnerable to exploitation. We must protect children from the risks associated with these chatbots. I am proud to be partnering wi... more AI Verified source (2026)

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  Erin Maye Quade

  Minnesota state senator (DFL-Apple Valley); Chair, Senate Internet & Technology Committee

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  votes For and says:

  AI companions pose an unacceptable amount of risk to teens and children. They are designed to create emotional attachment and dependency. They easily produce harmful content, encourage self-harm, disordered eating, violence, and risky behavior. This ... more AI Unverifiable source (2026)

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  Dave Murman

  Nebraska state senator

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  votes For and says:

  • Ensuring generative AI chatbots with human-like features are not made available for use by minors; AI Verified source (2026)

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  Public Citizen

  Consumer advocacy organization

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  votes For and says:

  the bipartisan GUARD Act, which bans AI corporations from making companion products available to minors [...] AI Verified source (2026)

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  Luka, Inc. (Replika)

  AI companion chatbot platform

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  votes For and says:

  The Services are not intended for individuals under the age of 18. If we discover that minors under the age of 18 are using the Apps, we will promptly block their access and delete their account. AI Verified source (2025)

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  Character Technologies, Inc. (Character.AI)

  AI companion chatbot company

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  votes For and says:

  The first thing that we've decided as Character.AI is that we will remove the ability for under-18 users to engage in any open-ended chats with AI on our platform. AI Verified source (2025)

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  Megan Garcia

  Mother, child online safety advocate

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  votes For and says:

  Specifically, I commend this bill for prohibiting harmful AI companions for children that including emotionally manipulative AI such as chatbots... AI Unverifiable source (2025)

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  California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General

  California state justice department

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  votes For and says:

  ...prohibiting the availability of so-called “companion chatbots” to children unless the chatbots are not foreseeably capable of certain conduct... AI Verified source (2025)

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  Ed Markey

  U.S. senator from Massachusetts

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  votes For and says:

  Will Meta commit to halting access by minors (users under age 18) to its AI chatbot products, including AI chatbot products on its platforms? AI Verified source (2025)

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  Office of U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner

  U.S. Senate press office

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  votes For and says:

  WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Katie Britt (R-AL) introduced the GUARD Act, which would ban AI companions for minors, mandate AI chatbots disclose its non-... more AI Verified source (2025)

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  Ethics and Public Policy Center

  Public policy think tank

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  votes For and says:

  AI companions are unsafe for children, and yet they are all too easy to access. Just as we have done for pornography websites, EPPC is putting forth a new model bill that would age restrict AI companions entirely out of childhood. The burden is curre... more AI Verified source (2025)

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  Chloe Lawrence

  Policy analyst at EPPC

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  votes For and says:

  EPPC’s model defines which platforms would be covered by the bill, limiting the bill to AI companion chatbots as opposed to general purpose chatbots. Companion chatbots are defined based on their features, including: anthropomorphic features; feature... more AI Verified source (2025)

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  The Jed Foundation

  Youth mental health nonprofit

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  votes For and says:

  Do not deploy AI companions to minors. No emotionally responsive chatbot should be offered to anyone under 18. Companion AIs that impersonate people or simulate friendship, romance, or therapy are unsafe for adolescents. They delay help-seeking, unde... more AI Verified source (2025)

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  Kirra Pendergast

  Digital trust and safety expert

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  votes For and says:

  There’s a seductive narrative being spun that AI, especially the new wave of generative chatbots listen, understand and heal. This is just word prediction at scale, trained on the best and worst of the internet. It’s certainly not empathy. And for lo... more AI Unverifiable source (2025)

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  Office of U.S. Senator Katie Britt

  Official press office of Sen. Katie Britt

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  votes For and says:

  The GUARD Act would ban the use of AI companions by minors. AI Verified source (2025)

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  Robbie Torney

  AI safety director, Common Sense Media

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  votes For and says:

  Companies must immediately implement robust age assurance systems and limit access to AI companion features and dedicated companion products [...] for users under 18. AI Verified source (2025)

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  Nina Kaiser, Ph.D.

  Licensed psychologist; founder, PRACTICE San Francisco

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  votes For and says:

  I am writing to express my strong support for [...] Assembly Bill 1064 (Bauer-Kahan), which would ban AI companions for minors [...]. AI Unverifiable source (2025)

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  Office of U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal

  U.S. Senate press office

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  votes For and says:

  The GUARD Act would: 1. Ban AI companies from providing AI companions to minors. AI Verified source (2025)

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  Office of U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego

  U.S. Senate press office

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  votes For and says:

  The GUARD Act would: * Ban AI companies from providing AI companions to minors. AI Verified source (2025)

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  United States Congress

  U.S. federal legislature

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  votes For and says:

  The term “minor” means any individual who has not attained 18 years of age. [...] shall prohibit the minor from accessing or using any AI companion [...]. AI Verified source (2025)

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  Stephanie Trendell

  NCOSE policy writer

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  votes For and says:

  minor users will not be allowed to access AI companions [...] AI Verified source (2025)

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  Karandeep Anand

  CEO of Character.AI

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  votes For and says:

  The bar for under 18 users, from a safety perspective, has to be raised… This has to be regulated. AI Verified source (2025)

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  Josh Hawley

  U.S. Senator for Missouri

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  votes For and says:

  No AI chatbot companion should be targeted at children who are younger than 18 years of age. AI Verified source (2025)

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  Common Sense Media

  Kids media and tech nonprofit

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  votes For and says:

  these AI tools pose unacceptable risks to children and teens under age 18 and should not be used by minors. AI Verified source (2025)

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  Gaia Bernstein

  Brookings visiting fellow

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  votes For and says:

  The most comprehensive measure protects children from all three harms by banning minors under eighteen from accessing AI companion bots. AI Verified source (2025)

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  Jim Steyer

  Common Sense Media CEO

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  votes For and says:

  they pose unacceptable, well-documented risks to developing minds and should not be used by anyone under 18. AI Verified source (2025)

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  Alex Cardinell

  Founder and CEO, Glimpse.ai

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  votes For and says:

  children should not use Nomi or any other conversational AI app. Nomi is an adult-only app, and it is strictly against our terms of service for anyone under 18 to use Nomi. Accordingly, we support stronger age gating so long as those mechanisms fully... more AI Verified source (2025)

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  Denise Uhl

  Licensed mental health therapist

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  votes For and says:

  I shudder to think of the impact it would have on kids if programmable ‘best friends' were available to the average elementary school child. Put quite simply, AI companions are not safe for anyone under the age of 18. The reality is, kids won't miss ... more AI Verified source (2025)

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  Chris Murphy

  U.S. Senator (D-Connecticut)

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  votes For and says:

  You can’t overstate the harm these AI companion chatbots pose to our kids. Nearly 70 percent of teenagers are turning to chatbots as a substitute for friendship, making them more isolated and disconnected, but what’s even scarier are the stories of c... more AI Verified source (2025)

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Against (7)

• 

  Adam Thierer

  R Street Institute senior fellow

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  votes Against and says:

  Competition, innovation, and speech options will be limited as a result of these moves. AI Verified source (2026)

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  Jarrett Catlin

  State AI policy adviser, TechNet

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  votes Against and says:

  The question with Senate File 1857 is not whether or not kids deserve protection, it’s whether this bill’s approach cuts them off from useful tools. AI Verified source (2026)

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  NetChoice

  Online business trade association

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  votes Against and says:

  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)

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  Morgan Wilsmann

  Public Knowledge policy advocate

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  votes Against and says:

  Although age restrictions on chatbots designed for erotic or intimate interactions likely meet the “obscene for children” standard from Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, we oppose wide-ranging age restrictions, as they could hinder both children and a... more AI Verified source (2025)

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  Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA)

  Technology trade association

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  votes Against and says:

  VOTE “NO” ON AB 1064. AB 1064 not only BANS access of anyone under 18 to general-purpose AI or other covered products. AI Verified source (2025)

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  Molly Buckley

  EFF legislative analyst

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  votes Against and says:

  The GUARD Act doesn’t give parents a choice—it simply blocks minors from AI companions altogether. AI Verified source (2025)

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  Alex Ambrose

  Policy analyst at ITIF

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  votes Against and says:

  If it feels like AI companion chatbots are dominating the news cycle, that’s not a hallucination. Policymakers are increasingly concerned that children are forming unhealthy and even potentially dangerous emotional attachments to AI companion chatbot... more AI Verified source (2025)

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