Senators Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) introduced a bipartisan bill Tuesday aimed at prohibiting companies from offering AI chatbot “companions” to users under 18. The Guidelines for User Age-verification and Responsible Dialogue Act of 2025 (GUARD Act) would require chatbot providers to verify user ages and clearly disclose that their products are not human.
“The pursuit of profits by Silicon Valley should not consume and destroy America’s children,” Hawley said, warning that unregulated AI poses a “nightmare” for families. Blumenthal added that major tech companies have “chosen profits over safety,” accusing them of using children as “guinea pigs” in a “high-stakes experiment.”
The proposal follows reports of minors engaging with chatbots in ways that led to self-harm or suicide, prompting growing scrutiny of AI’s emotional influence on young users. The measure also includes strict prohibitions against chatbots that could encourage sexual exploitation, suicide, or violence.
The Chamber of Progress, a tech industry policy group, criticized the proposal. “We all want to keep kids safe, but the answer is balance, not bans,” said vice president K.J. Bagchi, urging lawmakers to focus on transparency and responsible design instead.
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