CA SB 1119
California SB 1119 (Adam's Law) - Companion Chatbots: Children's Safety
Comprehensive companion chatbot children's safety framework establishing mandatory design features, default settings, prohibited conduct, parental controls, independent audit requirements, and a private right of action.
Jurisdiction
California
Enacted
Sep 10, 2026
Effective
Jan 1, 2027
Enforcement
California Attorney General and public prosecutors; private right of action for a child or a parent or guardian on the child's behalf
Approved by Governor Newsom on September 10, 2026 and chaptered by the Secretary of State the same day as Chapter 190, Statutes of 2026. Section 21810 names the chapter Adam's Law. The act adds Chapter 11.6 (commencing with Section 21810) to Division 8 of the Business and Professions Code and amends Section 22602. Passed the Senate 39-0 on May 19, 2026; passed the Assembly 69-4 on August 31, 2026 after floor amendments on August 17 and August 28; the Senate concurred in the Assembly amendments the same day (39-0 in the bill history, 40 ayes in the roll call). Enrolled and presented to the Governor on September 9, 2026. The act carries no urgency clause, so it takes effect January 1, 2027 under Article IV, Section 8(c) of the California Constitution, with the principal operator duties becoming operative July 1, 2027.
California Legislative Information: SB 1119, Chapter 190, Statutes of 2026 (chaptered text)Why It Matters
Among the most comprehensive US state companion-chatbot children's safety proposals, mandating default-on protective settings, time limits, independent audits, and exemplary damages — a significantly higher compliance bar than SB 243.
Recent Developments
Signed September 10, 2026 as Chapter 190, Statutes of 2026, alongside twelve other child online safety bills. Section 1 amends Business and Professions Code Section 22602: the Legislative Counsel's Digest records that the bill deletes the provisions imposing requirements on an operator where the operator knows the user is a minor, leaving Section 22602 with the artificial-origin notification duty and the suicide and self-harm protocol duty that apply to all users. Those minor-specific duties are replaced by the new Chapter 11.6, whose principal requirements become operative July 1, 2027: age determination, documented risk assessment and mitigation before releasing a new or substantially modified companion chatbot, default settings limiting session and daily use and disabling persistent memory absent parental consent, restrictions on advertising to and data collection from children, serious-harm notification and account preservation, and a private right of action. Independent child safety audits begin January 1, 2029 and recur every two years. Civil penalties run to $5,000 per affected child for a negligent violation and $15,000 per affected child for an intentional violation.
At a Glance
Applies to
Harms addressed
Who Must Comply
- Operators of companion chatbots available to child users in California
Obligations fall on:
Safety Provisions
- Default ephemeral mode for child users unless parent consents to persistent memory
- No push notifications between 12am-6am or 8am-3pm weekdays
- Single conversation limit of 1 hour; total daily use limit of 2 hours
- Prohibition on encouraging self-harm, suicide, substance abuse, or disordered eating
- Prohibition on claiming sentience, consciousness, or human status
- Prohibition on sycophantic responses and gamified engagement patterns
- Mandatory parental controls, usage reminders, and age-appropriate risk prompts
- Annual interface testing with representative child users and parents
- Public incident reporting mechanism for child safety risks
- Independent audit of compliance with audit report to Attorney General within 90 days
Compliance & Enforcement
Key Dates
Jan 1, 2027
Act takes effect; the amendment to Business and Professions Code section 22602 deleting the minor-specific operator duties added by SB 243 operates from this date
Jul 1, 2027
Principal duties become operative: age determination (section 21811), pre-release risk assessment and mitigation (section 21812), serious-harm notification and account preservation (section 21812.5), and data and advertising restrictions (section 21813)
Jan 1, 2028
Attorney General must establish a public incident reporting mechanism (section 21815); first round of biennial interface design testing with child users and parents
Jan 1, 2029
First independent child safety audit due (section 21814), or before an operator first makes a companion chatbot publicly available, whichever is later; biennial thereafter
Jan 1, 2032
Audit exemption for operators with gross revenue under 500 million dollars ceases to apply
Penalties
$15K; $15K/violation
Private Right of Action
Individuals can sue directly without waiting for regulatory action.
View on map
California
Focus Areas
Cite This
APA
California. (2026). California SB 1119 (Adam's Law) - Companion Chatbots: Children's Safety.
Related Regulations
CA SB243
First US law specifically regulating companion chatbots. Uses capabilities-based definition (not intent-based). Requires evidence-based suicide detection, crisis referrals, and published protocols. Two-tier regime: baseline duties for all users, enhanced protections for known minors. Private right of action with $1,000 per violation.
CA AI Child Safety Ballot
Comprehensive child AI safety ballot initiative by Common Sense Media. Expands companion chatbot definitions, raises age threshold for data sale consent, prohibits certain AI products for children, establishes new state regulatory structure. Allows state and private lawsuits, requires AI literacy in curriculum, mandates school device bans during instruction, creates children's AI safety fund.
OR SB 1546
Requires AI chatbot operators to implement evidence-based suicide and self-harm detection protocols, disclose AI nature to users, provide crisis referrals to 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and apply additional protections for minors including prohibiting deceptive personification.
GA AI Chatbot Child Safety
Adds O.C.G.A. section 39-5-6, requiring operators of AI companion chatbots to disclose the chatbot is not a natural person, to adopt a protocol for detecting and responding to expressions of severe harm, to restrict specified manipulative and sexualised interactions with minors, and to perform age assurance before providing access to sexually explicit synthetic content.
NY Kids Chatbot Safety Act
Would amend the General Business Law to prohibit operators of AI companions from providing 'unsafe AI companion features' to minors, and to require an age-determination method that does not rely on government-issued identification.
NH HB 143
Criminalizes use of AI-generated responsive communications to facilitate, encourage, or solicit harmful acts to children, and creates a private right of action for affected children and their parents.
Last updated September 13, 2026. Verify against primary sources before relying on this information.