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PA HB 2006

Pennsylvania Artificial Intelligence in Companionship Applications Safety Act (HB 2006)

Would require operators of AI companions offered in Pennsylvania to run age assurance without demanding government identification, obtain verifiable parental consent before a minor can use a companion, display continuous and periodic non-human disclosures with mandated breaks, maintain published crisis protocols that refer users expressing suicidal ideation, self-harm, eating-disorder or harm-to-others intent to 988 and other crisis services, and prevent sexual content for minors. The Attorney General would enforce with civil penalties of up to $100,000 per day per violation.

Jurisdiction

Pennsylvania

Enacted

Pending

Effective

TBD

Enforcement

Pennsylvania Attorney General

Referred to the House Communications and Technology Committee on November 6, 2025 (PN 2560). Reported as amended on June 23, 2026 (PN 3676) and given first consideration; re-reported from Rules and given second consideration with amendments on July 1, 2026 (PN 3747), then re-committed to the House Appropriations Committee the same day. No third-consideration vote and no Senate action recorded as of the Legislature's bill history (archived July 22, 2026) or research checks through September 6, 2026. Prime sponsor Rep. Melissa Shusterman. 2025-2026 session.

Pennsylvania General Assembly: House Bill 2006 (2025-2026 session)

Why It Matters

One of the few state companion-chatbot bills to combine age assurance and parental consent with forced-break disclosures and a crisis protocol that extends beyond suicide to eating disorders and harm to others, and to require public reporting of crisis-referral volumes.

Recent Developments

Advanced out of the House Communications and Technology Committee on June 23, 2026 and through second consideration with amendments on July 1, 2026, when the House voted on amendment A04086, before being re-committed to Appropriations. The July 2026 amendments raised the daily penalty ceiling from $15,000 to $100,000, lengthened the disclosure interval from one to two hours and shortened the forced break from three to two minutes. A separate Senate bill on chatbots and minors, SB 1090, passed the Senate in March 2026.

At a Glance

Applies to

AI CompanionCharacter Chatbot

Who Must Comply

  • Operators of AI companions (companionship applications) offered to Pennsylvania users

Safety Provisions

  • Age assurance before access, using commercially reasonable methods; operators may not require government-issued identification
  • Verifiable parental consent before a minor may access an AI companion, and a suitability disclosure that AI companions may not be suitable for some minors
  • Where a reasonable person could be misled into thinking the companion is human: a continuous on-screen notification that it is artificially generated, plus a notification at the start of each interaction and at least every two hours that reminds the user to take a break, pausing the interaction for two minutes (PN 3747 amendments)
  • Notifications must be in the language the user is interacting in
  • An AI companion may not claim, imply or advertise that it is a licensed emotional-support or mental-health professional
  • Protocols that refer a user to a crisis center, including the 988 Lifeline, when the user indicates suicidal ideation or self-harm (including expressions relating to eating disorders) or interest in harming others
  • Protocols preventing the companion from assisting or encouraging suicide or violence, generating content that instructs or describes how to commit suicide, self-harm or violence, or discouraging the user from seeking help outside the companion
  • Protocol details must be published on the operator's public website
  • For minor users, reasonable measures to prevent sexually explicit visual material, sexual dialogue or roleplay, and content that solicits sexual conduct
  • From July 1, 2028, annual de-identified reporting to the Attorney General of crisis-referral notification counts, prevention protocols, minor-safeguard measures and age-assurance procedures, published by the Attorney General

Compliance & Enforcement

Penalties

$100K/day

View on map

Pennsylvania

Focus Areas

Mental health & crisis
Child safety
Active safeguards required

Cite This

APA

Pennsylvania. (n.d.). Pennsylvania Artificial Intelligence in Companionship Applications Safety Act (HB 2006).

Related Regulations

Pending US-PA

PA SAFECHAT Act

Mandates age-appropriate safeguards for AI chatbots interacting with minors, including crisis resource redirection when high-risk language is detected and disclosure that users are interacting with AI.

Pending US-PA

PA AI Mental Health Therapy Act

Imposes explicit prohibitions on AI systems making therapeutic judgments, generating treatment plans without human review, or simulating emotional interaction. Violations treated as unprofessional conduct under Commonwealth licensing laws.

Enacted US-CT

CT SB 5 / PA 26-15

Connecticut's omnibus online-safety law establishing requirements for AI chatbots, AI companions, automated employment-decision tools, generative-AI provenance, and youth social media use. Requires chatbot operators to detect expressions of suicidal ideation, self-harm, or imminent violence and refer users to appropriate resources.

In Effect UK

UK OSA

One of the most comprehensive platform content moderation regimes globally. Creates specific duties around suicide, self-harm, and eating disorder content for children with 'highly effective' age assurance requirements.

Failed US-CA

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.

Pending US-NY

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.

Last updated September 6, 2026. Verify against primary sources before relying on this information.