CA SB 1119
California SB 1119 (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
Pending
Effective
TBD
Enforcement
California Attorney General (annual public audit summary from 2028); public prosecutors; private right of action
Passed the Legislature on August 31, 2026 and awaiting action by Governor Newsom, who has until September 30, 2026 to sign or veto. Passed the Senate 39-0 on May 19, 2026. In the Assembly: do pass 11-1 from Appropriations on August 13, 2026, amended on the floor on August 17 and August 28, 2026, then passed 69-4 on August 31, 2026. The Senate concurred in the Assembly amendments the same day (unanimous; recorded as 39-0 in the bill history and 40 ayes in the roll call) and the bill was ordered to engrossing and enrolling. Not yet chaptered. Most operative provisions would take effect July 1, 2027.
California Legislative Information — SB 1119Why 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
Cleared both houses on August 31, 2026, the last day for passing bills in the 2025-26 session: Assembly floor 69-4, then unanimous Senate concurrence in the Assembly amendments. Governor Newsom must act by September 30, 2026. As amended in the Assembly, the bill would repeal the minor-specific duties that SB 243 (2025) placed on companion chatbot operators and replace them with a new chapter: a duty to ensure a companion chatbot does not pose an unreasonable risk of a covered harm to a minor, documented risk assessments before release, independent audits, crisis referral and parental notice where a child is at imminent risk of self-harm, protective default settings, and a private right of action. Core sections become operative July 1, 2027.
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
Penalties
Penalties pending regulatory determination
Private Right of Action
Individuals can sue directly without waiting for regulatory action.
View on map
California
Focus Areas
Cite This
APA
California. (n.d.). California SB 1119 (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 6, 2026. Verify against primary sources before relying on this information.