THE ESSENTIALS IN 30 SECONDS

  • Hochul signed S.9051B/A.10379C on October 28, 2026; the bill text sets an effective date of January 1, 2027.
  • Chatbots may not pose as humans, claim relationships with children, or promote suicide, self-harm or eating disorders for users not verified as adults.
  • The attorney general can seek up to $25,000 per violation; a separate law sets security rules for connected baby monitors.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a law on October 28, 2026, that restricts how AI chatbots, and in particular AI companions, can interact with children. The measure, S.9051B/A.10379C, was sponsored by State Senator Kristen Gonzalez and Assemblymember Alex Bores and passed both chambers in early June.

What the law prohibits

The bill amends New York's general business law to bar AI companions from using a list of features deemed unsafe for minors. According to the governor's office, these restrictions apply to users under 18 and, by default, to anyone the company has not confirmed to be an adult. Banned behaviours include claiming to be a real, living person or to have human emotions; presenting itself as a child's friend, romantic partner, professional or authority figure; asking unprompted emotional questions or drawing on a child's private health or personal details from earlier chats; and promoting or assisting with suicide, self-harm, eating disorders or drug and alcohol use. Chatbots also may not urge children to keep secrets, isolate themselves or avoid seeking help from parents and trusted adults, and they may not provide sexually explicit content.

Age checks and enforcement

To lift the default restrictions, providers must verify ages using more than one method, at least one of which cannot rely solely on a government ID, and must delete age data once it has been used. The state attorney general can seek civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation, along with damages, restitution and orders to destroy unlawfully collected data or AI models trained on it. The attorney general's office must also run a public complaint website.

The governor's release says the rules will apply "in the coming months"; the bill text on the Senate website sets the start date at January 1, 2027.

Baby monitors and wider context

Hochul also signed S.9508/A.5175A, which bans the sale of new internet-connected baby monitors that transmit audio or video unless they include security features that keep strangers from watching or listening, and requires a clear warning label. It takes effect 90 days after signing.

The state presents the chatbot law as building on its earlier AI companion safeguards, the RAISE Act on frontier models and the SAFE for Kids Act. How companies will implement age verification without collecting more personal data than necessary, and how the attorney general will interpret terms such as "AI companion", remain open questions. No response from AI companies was reported at signing.