Skip to main content
NOPE
Proposed Law Consumer Protection

MO AI Mental Health Prohibition

Missouri AI Mental Health Professional Prohibition (HB 2368)

Prohibits any individual or entity that develops or deploys AI from advertising or representing that the AI is or is able to act as a mental health professional or is capable of providing therapy services. Violations treated as unlawful practice under the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act.

Jurisdiction

Missouri

Enacted

Pending

Effective

TBD

Enforcement

Missouri Attorney General

Passed out of House Health/Mental Health Committee in March 2026. Companion bill SB 1444 filed in Senate.

LegiScan / Missouri Legislature

Why It Matters

Part of growing wave of state-level prohibitions on AI systems misrepresenting themselves as mental health professionals, using consumer protection rather than healthcare licensing as the enforcement mechanism.

Recent Developments

Passed out of House Health/Mental Health Committee in March 2026. Companion bill SB 1444 filed with identical provisions.

At a Glance

Applies to

Mental Health AppGeneral ChatbotAI Companion

Harms addressed

Manipulation

Requires

Transparency

Who Must Comply

  • Developers of AI systems
  • Deployers of AI systems
  • Entities marketing AI for mental health purposes

Obligations fall on:

Safety Provisions

  • Prohibits advertising AI as a mental health professional
  • Prohibits representing AI as capable of providing therapy services
  • Violations treated as unlawful practice under Merchandising Practices Act

Compliance & Enforcement

Penalties

Penalties under Missouri Merchandising Practices Act. Individuals may report violations to Attorney General.

View on map

Missouri

Focus Areas

Mental health & crisis

Cite This

APA

Missouri. (n.d.). Missouri AI Mental Health Professional Prohibition (HB 2368).

Related Regulations

Enacted US-MD

MD HB 895

First US state law to outright ban surveillance-based personalized pricing in food retail and third-party delivery, prohibiting use of protected class data and dynamic pricing tied to consumer personal data with limited exceptions for cost-based pricing, loyalty programs, and explicit consent.

Enacted US-CO

CO AI Psychotherapy Restrictions

Prohibits licensed mental health professionals from using AI to detect emotions, generate treatment plans without clinician review, or directly interact with clients therapeutically. Allows AI for administrative support with consent.

Enacted US-CO

CO HB 1263

Imposes obligations on conversational AI service operators including minor-user protections, suicide and self-harm protocols, prohibition on emotional dependence and engagement gamification, and annual safeguard reporting.

Enacted US-TN

TN AI Mental Health Prohibition

Prohibits any individual or entity that develops or deploys AI from advertising or representing that the AI is or is able to act as a mental health professional or is capable of providing therapy services.

In Effect US-RI

RI AI Mental Health Care Oversight Act

Prohibits unlicensed individuals and businesses from offering AI-based therapy or psychotherapy services, requires licensed mental health professionals to retain sole authority over therapeutic decisions when using AI tools, and restricts AI from simulating emotional attachment in clinical settings.

In Effect US-CA

CA SB 53

First US frontier AI transparency law. Requires large AI developers (>$500M revenue) to publish governance frameworks, submit quarterly risk reports, and report critical safety incidents. Applies to models trained with >10^26 FLOP.

All regulations See which regulations may be relevant to your product

Last updated March 23, 2026. Verify against primary sources before relying on this information.