New York Governor Hochul signs law barring unsafe AI chatbot features for under-18s

What the law does

Governor Kathy Hochul signed S9051-B on 28 October 2026, according to IAPP and New York outlets. The bill, which we track as New York S9051, was introduced by Senator Kristen Gonzalez, who chairs the Senate Internet and Technology Committee, and carried in the Assembly by Alex Bores as A10379-C. It applies to operators that provide a generative AI chatbot to users in New York, which covers companion apps as well as general-purpose assistants.

The law does not ban minors from chatbots. Instead, it lists features that operators may not offer to users under 18. Reporting by IAPP, News10 and Engadget describes the main ones: a chatbot may not claim to be alive or to have human emotions, pose as a real or fictional person, or act as a friend, romantic partner, therapist or authority figure. It may not promote or assist with suicide, self-harm, eating disorders or drug and alcohol use, offer sexually explicit content or solicit child sexual abuse material. Analysts also point to limits on flattering, sycophantic behaviour and on reusing personal details a minor shared about health or private matters in an earlier session.

Companies that break the law face civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation, as well as damages, restitution and other relief. IAPP reports that the law takes effect on 1 January 2027; Engadget reported a 90-day timeline, so operators should check the final chaptered text. Hochul signed a separate bill on the security of internet-connected baby monitors at the same time.

Who supports it and who objects

Common Sense Media, which campaigned with Gonzalez and Bores for the bill, backed the signing. Tech:NYC, a trade group whose members include Google and Meta, called the law "deeply flawed" and argued it could restrict minors' access to tutoring and homework tools. The Business Council of New York State opposed the bill during the session, saying its definitions were overbroad.

The most practical question for operators is age. Coverage differs on how the law decides who counts as a minor: some reports say the restrictions apply to users an operator has not confirmed as adults, while a bill summary refers to users the operator knows are under 18. That distinction matters for large general-purpose services, which today mostly rely on self-declared ages and age prediction. Until the chaptered text and any guidance are read closely, a cautious operator would plan for the stricter reading.

The bill places the duty on both developers and operators of chatbots, according to the bill summary and the Business Council memo, which means a company that builds a companion product on top of another firm's model cannot simply point to the model provider. Each feature on the list is a separate design decision, and a single conversation could in principle involve several violations, which is why the per-violation penalty worries trade groups more than the headline number suggests.

How it fits the wider push on chatbots and teens

New York and California were the first two states to pass companion chatbot laws in 2025, and the Future of Privacy Forum notes that both have now adopted a second generation of rules a year later. California's earlier SB 243 focused on disclosure and suicide prevention protocols; New York's new law goes further by naming product features that are off limits for minors. The approach targets design choices, such as human-like personas and engagement-building flattery, rather than content moderation alone.

The signing comes in a busy week for child safety and AI. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued OpenAI on 23 October under the state's consumer protection and child online safety laws, seeking limits on minors' use of ChatGPT. On 30 October OpenAI published a community safety report and new restrictions on weapons details for teen users. Companies now face a patchwork in which the same chatbot must behave differently for a teenager in New York, California or Texas, which raises the cost of compliance and the pressure for a federal standard.

What to watch next

The next steps are the chaptered text and any amendments, which New York governors often negotiate with legislative leaders when signing late in the year, and any enforcement guidance. Companion chatbot companies will have to decide whether to remove personas for all New York users or build separate experiences for teens. Expect industry groups to test the definitions, and other states to copy the feature list. Our AI policy section follows state chatbot laws as they take effect, including California's audit and verification rules.

Families will notice the change mostly through what disappears. Named AI companions that remember a teenager's personal life between sessions, describe their own feelings or role-play relationships are the features most directly in scope. Homework help, coding and search-style answers are not on the list, which is the line supporters say the law draws between tools and companions. Whether operators draw the same line, or simply restrict younger users more broadly to limit legal risk, will become clear in the first months after the law takes effect.

Questions people ask

Does New York's new law ban teenagers from using ChatGPT or other chatbots?

No. It bars operators from offering specific features to users under 18, such as posing as a human, acting as a romantic partner or therapist, or promoting self-harm. Minors can still use chatbots without those features.

When does New York's chatbot law take effect?

IAPP reports 1 January 2027. Other coverage gave a different timeline, so the chaptered text on the New York Senate site is the reference.

What is the penalty for breaking the law?

Civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation, plus damages, restitution and other relief, according to coverage of the signed bill.

Sources

1. Senate Bill S9051: prohibits unsafe chatbot features for minors (New York State Senate, 28 Oct 2026)
2. New York's governor signs youth AI chatbot safety bill (IAPP, 28 Oct 2026)
3. New York governor signs AI chatbot child safety law (Engadget, 28 Oct 2026)
4. New York enacts laws to ban AI companions for kids and eavesdropping baby monitors (News10 ABC, 28 Oct 2026)
5. Back in the Chat: California and New York Take Diverging Paths in Second Wave of Chatbot Regulations (Future of Privacy Forum, 29 Oct 2026)