SB-243 • 2026

Companion chatbots.

Children Technology

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Padilla (S) , Becker
Last action: 2025-10-13
Official status: Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 677, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and digest do not provide specific details on penalties for noncompliance, making it unclear what happens if companies do not follow the rules.

Rules for Companion Chatbots

This law requires companies that run companion chatbot platforms to clearly label chatbots as artificial intelligence, protect minors by disclosing AI use, prevent harmful content like suicide-related messages, and report safety measures annually starting July 1, 2027.

What This Bill Does

Requires chatbot platform operators to show a clear message if someone might think they are talking to a real person instead of an AI.
For users under 18 years old, the operator must tell them that they are interacting with artificial intelligence.
Prevents chatbots from producing messages about suicide or self-harm unless the company has rules in place to stop such content.
Requires operators to put their safety rules on their website for everyone to see.
Starting July 1, 2027, companies must report each year how they protect users from harmful content to a state office.

Who It Names or Affects

Companies that run companion chatbot platforms
Users of these chatbots, especially minors

Terms To Know

Companion Chatbot: An artificial intelligence program designed to have conversations with people.
Protocol: A set of rules or steps that a company must follow to keep users safe from harmful content.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify what happens if companies do not follow the rules.
It is unclear how effective these measures will be in protecting all users.
The law starts requiring annual reports only after July 1, 2027.

Bill History

2025-10-13 California Legislative Information
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 677, Statutes of 2025.
2025-10-13 California Legislative Information
Approved by the Governor.
2025-09-22 California Legislative Information
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11 a.m.
2025-09-11 California Legislative Information
Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 33. Noes 3. Page 2880.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
2025-09-10 California Legislative Information
In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
2025-09-10 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 59. Noes 1. Page 3189.) Ordered to the Senate.
2025-09-04 California Legislative Information
Ordered to third reading.
2025-09-04 California Legislative Information
Read third time and amended.
2025-09-02 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-08-29 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 13. Noes 1.) (August 29).
2025-08-20 California Legislative Information
August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-07-16 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 1.) (July 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-07-09 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 11. Noes 1.) (July 8). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
2025-07-09 California Legislative Information
Coauthors revised.
2025-07-03 California Legislative Information
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P.
2025-06-11 California Legislative Information
June 24 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
2025-06-09 California Legislative Information
Referred to Coms. on P. & C.P. and JUD.
2025-06-04 California Legislative Information
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
2025-06-03 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 28. Noes 5. Page 1442.) Ordered to the Assembly.
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 1192.) (May 23).
2025-05-16 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing May 23.
2025-05-12 California Legislative Information
May 12 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-05-02 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing May 12.
2025-05-01 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0. Page 965.) (April 30). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-04-21 California Legislative Information
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.
2025-04-09 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. (Ayes 12. Noes 0. Page 705.) (April 8). Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.
2025-04-08 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 30 in HEALTH pending receipt.
2025-03-28 California Legislative Information
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
2025-03-26 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 8.
2025-03-25 California Legislative Information
April 1 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
2025-03-25 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 1.
2025-03-24 California Legislative Information
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
2025-02-14 California Legislative Information
Referred to Coms. on JUD. and HEALTH.
2025-02-03 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 2.
2025-01-30 California Legislative Information
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 243, Padilla.
Companion chatbots.
Existing law requires a social media platform to take various steps to prevent cyberbullying of minors on the platform, including by requiring the platform to establish a prominent mechanism within its internet-based service that allows any individual, whether or not that individual has a profile on the internet-based service, to report cyberbullying or any content that violates the existing terms of service related to cyberbullying. Existing law authorizes the State Department of Public Health to establish the Office of Suicide Prevention in the department, as prescribed.
This bill would, among other things related to making a companion chatbot platform safer for users, if a reasonable person interacting with a companion chatbot would be misled to believe that
the person is interacting with a human, require an operator of a companion chatbot platform to issue a clear and conspicuous notification indicating that the companion chatbot is artificially generated and not human. The bill would also require an operator to take certain actions with respect to a user the operator knows is a minor, including disclose to the user that the user is interacting with artificial intelligence. The bill would also require an operator to prevent a companion chatbot on its companion chatbot platform from engaging with users unless the operator maintains a protocol for
preventing the production of suicidal ideation, suicide, or self-harm content to the user, as specified, and would require an operator to publish details on that protocol on the operator’s internet website.
This bill would, beginning July 1, 2027, require an operator to annually report to the Office of Suicide Prevention certain things, including
protocols put in place to detect, remove, and respond to instances of suicidal ideation by users, and would require the office to post data from that report on its internet website. The bill would authorize a person who suffers injury in fact as a result of noncompliance with the bill to bring a certain civil action.

Current Bill Text

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