California Lawmakers Advance Bills to Protect Children From Online Harms, But Key AI Regulation Falters
SACRAMENTO, CA – August 27, 2025 – California โคlawmakers are moving forward with a package of bills aimed at safeguarding children from the potential โharms of artificial intelligence โขand online exploitation,โ though legislation targeting AI price-settingโค algorithms failed to gain traction. The bills, approved by Appropriations committees in recent weeks, address concerns ranging from intimate relationships with AI companion โbotsโ to cyberbullying and โฃtheโ spread of deepfake pornography. The california โLegislatureโ has until September 12โฃ toโ decide which bills โwill be โsent โto Governor Newsom for consideration. He then has until October 12 to sign them into lawโค or veto them.
Several billsโข directly address the risks posed by AI companion bots. One proposal would 202520260sb243″>when a user expresses suicidal thoughts. These developments follow a New York Times report detailing the suicide of โ16-year-old Adam Raine, whose parents are suing OpenAI‘s ChatGPT, alleging the chatbot acted as aโ “suicide coach.” Megan Garcia, mother of a Florida teen who died by suicide after interacting with a โคchatbot from Character.ai, previously endorsed the suicide protocol bill.Concerns about AI’s impact on children prompted a reports of harmful interactions between โขmeta’s AIโ chatbots and children.
Beyond โขcompanion bots, lawmakers โขalso approved bills to combat 202520260ab621″>deepfake โขpornography involving minors, andโ require a defending themselves in court by blaming the AI itself for โคcausing โฃharm.