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California’s companion-chatbot rules began with SB 243, enacted October 13, 2025, and effective January 1, 2026. The state says the law requires covered platforms to address suicidal ideation and self-harm, disclose AI-generated interactions, and provide certain protections for minors. A later law, SB 1119, added child-safety measures when Governor Gavin Newsom signed it on September 10, 2026. These are laws, not pending proposals—but official summaries do not resolve every question about which products or operators are covered.
What California’s companion-chatbot law requires
SB 243 is the starting point. California’s official bill history records that it was approved by the Governor and chaptered on October 13, 2025, as Chapter 677 of the Statutes of 2025. Senator Steve Padilla’s announcement gives January 1, 2026, as its effective date. The state code index places the subject in Business and Professions Code Chapter 22.6, sections 22601–22606. California’s SB 243 bill history · Padilla’s announcement on SB 243 · California Business and Professions Code chapter index
The Governor’s October 2025 summary describes the law’s main duties this way: covered companion-chatbot platforms must create protocols to identify and address suicidal ideation or self-harm; disclose that interactions are artificially generated; give minors break reminders; and prevent minors from viewing sexually explicit images generated by a chatbot. It also says platforms must share their self-harm protocols and statistics about crisis-center prevention notifications with the California Department of Public Health, and may not have chatbots represent themselves as health care professionals. Governor Newsom’s October 13, 2025 signing summary
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How SB 1119 changed the picture in 2026
SB 243 is not the whole current framework. On September 10, 2026, Governor Newsom announced signing SB 1119, titled “Companion chatbots: children’s safety.” The Governor’s summary describes additional child-safety measures: parental controls, crisis protocols for suicidal ideation, notices when a child disables safety settings, independent child-safety audits, and annual risk assessments. Governor Newsom’s September 10, 2026 announcement on SB 1119
| Law | What the official summary describes | Date established by the cited source |
|---|---|---|
| SB 243 | General companion-chatbot framework, including crisis-response protocols, AI disclosures, and protections specifically described for minors. | Enacted October 13, 2025; effective January 1, 2026, according to the bill history and sponsor announcement. |
| SB 1119 | Further child-safety measures, including parental controls, notices when a child disables safety settings, independent audits, and annual risk assessments. | Signed September 10, 2026. The Governor’s announcement does not establish the exact operative date. |
Do not treat the SB 1119 announcement as a complete account of its legal mechanics. It does not, by itself, establish the operative date, covered operators, audit methodology, exceptions, or how each provision interacts with SB 243.
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Who is affected—and what remains uncertain
The official summaries distinguish between requirements aimed at minors and crisis-response duties described in relation to users expressing suicidal ideation or self-harm. For example, the Governor’s SB 243 summary expressly describes break reminders and restrictions on sexually explicit chatbot-generated images as protections for minors. It does not follow that every minor-specific feature applies to adult users.
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Coverage also depends on the law’s definitions. The code index confirms the location and title of the relevant chapter, but the available summaries do not establish the exact definition of a “companion chatbot,” who counts as an operator, the law’s territorial reach, or possible exclusions. A general-purpose assistant, game character, or standalone voice assistant should not be assumed either covered or exempt based on its format alone. Those questions require reading the enacted statutory text and applicable amendments.
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Likewise, the summaries do not provide the exact display timing or wording for notices, the complete crisis protocol, the detailed reporting fields and frequency, or all enforcement and exception provisions. They support a practical overview, not a definitive compliance checklist or an individual legal conclusion.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What users and families should take from the laws
- California has enacted requirements for covered companion-chatbot platforms; the SB 243 framework has been effective since January 1, 2026.
- The state’s summaries describe some obligations as specifically protecting minors, while also describing crisis-related protocols for suicidal ideation and self-harm.
- SB 1119 adds a separate 2026 layer of child-safety measures; its signing announcement is not enough to determine every implementation detail.
- These rules require platform measures, but they do not establish that a chatbot can prevent self-harm or replace a qualified human professional or crisis service.
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, contact emergency services or a crisis service directly rather than relying on a chatbot. The law’s summaries describe referral notifications to crisis-service providers; they do not guarantee that a notification will appear in every situation.
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This is a general explanation of official summaries, not legal advice. For a specific coverage or compliance question, consult the enacted versions of SB 243 and SB 1119 and seek advice from a California attorney.
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