CHATBOT Act (S.4407)
Children's Health, Advancement, Trust, Boundaries, and Oversight in Technology Act (CHATBOT Act)
Federal bill requiring operators of public-facing AI chatbots to offer family accounts with parental controls for children, obtain verifiable parental consent before teens create accounts, and refrain from using known minors' personal data for targeted advertising.
Jurisdiction
United States
Enacted
Pending
Effective
TBD
Enforcement
Federal Trade Commission; state attorneys general
Introduced in the Senate April 28, 2026 (S.4407, 119th Congress) by Sens. Cruz, Schatz, Curtis, and Schiff. Ordered reported by the Senate Commerce Committee by voice vote on August 5, 2026, as amended by a Cruz-Schatz-Curtis substitute. Awaits Senate floor consideration.
S.4407 introduced text (GovInfo)Why It Matters
First federal bill regulating minors' access to AI chatbots to advance out of a congressional committee, establishing family accounts and verifiable parental consent as the gatekeeping mechanism. Complements state companion-chatbot laws such as California SB 243 and New York General Business Law Article 47, and travels with the related CHAT Act (S.2714) and GUARD Act (S.3062), which remain in committee.
Recent Developments
Ordered reported by the Senate Commerce Committee by voice vote on August 5, 2026 (Cruz-Schatz-Curtis substitute), at the same markup that advanced KOSA (S.1748), the Youth AI Privacy Act (S.4199), and the Children's AI Toy Safety Act (S.5171). The committee's release describes the substitute as adding duties to prevent chatbots from presenting obscene material to minors, provide crisis-resource referrals when suicidal ideation is detected, and notify parents on family accounts; the substitute text had not been published on congress.gov as of August 9, 2026.
At a Glance
Applies to
Harms addressed
Requires
Who Must Comply
- Public-facing websites, online services, or applications whose primary function is providing an AI chatbot
- Excludes customer-service, internal-research, technical-assistance, and knowledge-focused educational chatbot products
Obligations fall on:
Safety Provisions
- Children may access covered AI chatbots only through family accounts with parental oversight; known child accounts outside family accounts must be terminated
- Verifiable parental consent (COPPA definition, 15 U.S.C. 6501(9)) required before a teen creates an account, with direct notice to a parent and a revocation right
- Family accounts must let parents monitor and control access and receive alerts when a child or teen attempts to bypass or disable parental controls
- Prohibition on using personal data of known children or teens for targeted advertising
- Committee-reported substitute described as adding duties to prevent presentation of obscene material to minors and to provide crisis-resource referrals and parental notification when a minor expresses suicidal ideation (substitute text not yet published)
Exemptions
Narrow-purpose chatbot exclusion
Covered-entity definition excludes chatbots whose primary function is customer service, internal research, technical assistance, or knowledge-building education
- • Primary function is not general-purpose/companion chat
Compliance & Enforcement
Key Dates
Invalid Date
Would take effect 1 year after enactment (Section 12 of introduced text)
Penalties
Violations treated as unfair or deceptive acts or practices under the FTC Act (Section 18(a)(1)(B)); state attorneys general may seek injunctions, damages, and restitution. No specific civil penalty amounts in the introduced text.
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United States
Focus Areas
Cite This
APA
United States. (n.d.). Children's Health, Advancement, Trust, Boundaries, and Oversight in Technology Act (CHATBOT Act).
Related Regulations
KIDS Act
Omnibus children's internet safety legislation incorporating the SAFE BOTs Act (AI chatbot safeguards) and AWARE Act (AI education resources). Requires AI chatbot operators to disclose AI status to minors, provide crisis hotline information, and implement break prompts.
KOSA
Would establish duty of care for platforms regarding minor safety. Passed full Senate 91-3 in July 2024; passed Senate Commerce Committee multiple times (2022, 2023). Not yet enacted.
Brazil ECA Digital
Comprehensive child digital safety law applying to any IT product or service directed at or likely to be accessed by minors in Brazil, with extraterritorial reach.
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.
ID Conversational AI Safety
Establishes safety requirements for public-facing conversational AI, including crisis service referrals for suicidal ideation, AI disclosure obligations, and enhanced protections for minors including anti-gamification and content safeguards.
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.
Last updated August 9, 2026. Verify against primary sources before relying on this information.