New York bans AI companion chatbots for minors and tightens social media rules

New York has enacted a law that prohibits companies from offering AI companion chatbots to anyone under 18, with penalties of up to $25,000 for each violation. The measure follows earlier state AI regulations and aims to address concerns that teens are confiding in chatbots about mental‑health issues.

The state also finalized new social‑media rules that take effect on January 25, 2027. The rules bar platforms from sending notifications to minors between midnight and 6 a.m. without parental consent, require that minors see only content from accounts they follow or a chronological feed unless parents allow algorithmic feeds, and mandate age‑verification methods that do not rely on government‑issued IDs. Collected age data must be deleted or de‑identified immediately after use.

At the federal level, the U.S. Senate is debating the SCREEN Act, a sweeping age‑verification bill that would require online services to verify users' ages before allowing access to any sexually explicit content. If passed, the bill could extend verification requirements to a broad range of platforms, including streaming services and social‑media sites.