U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) have introduced a new bill that would ban anyone under 18 from using AI chatbots and require tech companies to verify the ages of all users.
The proposal, called the GUARD Act, was announced on Tuesday and marks one of the most aggressive attempts yet to regulate how minors interact with AI tools.
Under the GUARD Act, AI companies would need to verify each user’s age by requiring a government-issued ID or another “reasonable” method, such as facial scans or equivalent validation tools. The rule would apply to any company operating or offering access to chatbots, including those embedded in websites or mobile apps.
The legislation comes after a Senate hearing earlier this month, where parents and safety advocates warned lawmakers about the risks of minors engaging with AI chatbots that can produce inappropriate or harmful content.
Additional Rules for Chatbot Behavior
The bill would also impose new standards for chatbot transparency and safety. AI chatbots must:
- Disclose that they are not human every 30 minutes of interaction.
- Avoid claiming to be human in any context.
- Block the generation of sexual or self-harm-related content for minors.
These requirements mirror provisions from a recently passed California AI safety law and are designed to limit chatbots from mimicking human relationships or manipulating users emotionally.
Senator Blumenthal said the legislation introduces criminal and civil penalties for companies that fail to comply. “Big Tech has betrayed any claim that we should trust companies to do the right thing on their own when they consistently put profit first ahead of child safety,” Blumenthal said in a statement.
If passed, the GUARD Act would mark a significant shift in federal regulation of generative AI, which currently has few guardrails regarding youth access.
Featured image credits: Javier Zayaz/Getty Images
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