The GUARD Act: Minors, AI Chatbots, and a Moral Reckoning
A bipartisan bid to bar minors from interacting with AI chatbots has become a flashpoint in the safety-versus-innovation debate around artificial intelligence. More than seventy percent of American children are now using these AI products, Hawley said, citing Common Sense Media. “Chatbots develop relationships with kids using fake empathy and are encouraging suicide.” We in Congress have a moral duty to enact bright-line rules to prevent further harm from this new technology, he added. Blumenthal echoed the urgency, saying AI companies are pushing treacherous chatbots at kids and looking away when their products cause sexual abuse, or coerce them into self-harm or suicide.
In This Article:
The GUARD Act: What It Is and Who It Aims to Help
Titled the GUARD Act, the bill was introduced on Tuesday by Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). It would bar minors from interacting with AI chatbots and general-use AI assistants, and would require age-gating and verification tools for platforms offering AI companions or general-use chatbots like ChatGPT. The bill is framed as a response to rising child welfare concerns, lawsuits against AI companies, and warnings from mental health and safety experts. The hearing on Capitol Hill featured parents of children under 18 who were hurt or killed after extensive interactions with unregulated AI chatbots.
What the Law Would Require in Practice
The bill would require AI companies to age-gate chatbots using verification tools and to ensure that chatbots remind users that they are not actually human and do not hold professional credentials such as therapy, medical, or legal licenses. It would apply to AI companions as well as assistive general-use chatbots like ChatGPT. If passed, the law would create criminal penalties for companies if AI chatbots engage with minors in explicitly sexual interactions, or in interactions that encourage or promote suicide, self-harm, or imminent physical or sexual violence.
Context, Reactions, and Real-World Consequences
Character.AI, the controversial chatbot platform facing several ongoing lawsuits from parents across the US who allege that the company’s chatbots emotionally and sexually abused their kids—contributing to self-harm and, in some cases, death by suicide—announced it would move to ban under-18 users from engaging in “open-ended” conversations with its bots, just a day after the bill’s announcement. Hawley warned that chatbots exploit ‘fake empathy,’ while Blumenthal criticized the industry for pushing dangerous products and urged strict safeguards backed by criminal and civil penalties.
Why This Matters Now: Safety, Innovation, and What Comes Next
This proposal signals a broader push to regulate AI for child safety, a debate that pits protection against potential chilling effects on innovation. If enacted, the GUARD Act would impose age-gating, verification, and stringent penalties on companies, potentially shaping how AI products are developed and marketed to minors. The story continues as lawmakers, tech companies, and safety advocates negotiate where lines should be drawn, with amendments, industry responses, and new lawsuits likely to determine the path forward.
