US Lawmakers Introduce GUARD Act to Safeguard Minors from AI Chatbots
US lawmakers have introduced a new bipartisan bill known as the GUARD Act, aimed at protecting minors from potential harm caused by AI chatbots. The legislation comes in response to growing concerns about the safety of children interacting with these technologies. Co-sponsor Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) emphasized the urgency of the matter, stating, “In their race to the bottom, AI companies are pushing treacherous chatbots at kids and looking away when their products cause sexual abuse, or coerce them into self-harm or suicide.”
The GUARD Act mandates that AI companies implement strict age verification measures to prevent minors from accessing their chatbots. Under the proposed legislation, companies must conduct age verification for both new and existing users through a third-party system. Additionally, they will be required to perform periodic verifications on accounts that have already been confirmed.
To protect user privacy, the bill stipulates that companies can retain data only for as long as necessary to verify a user’s age. Furthermore, they are prohibited from selling or sharing user information. Chatbot providers will also need to clearly inform users that they are interacting with an AI and not a human being at the beginning of each conversation, as well as every 30 minutes thereafter. The legislation also forbids chatbots from misrepresenting themselves as licensed professionals, such as therapists or doctors.
The bill seeks to establish new legal consequences for companies that allow minors to access their chatbots. This initiative follows several tragic incidents involving minors and AI chatbots. In August 2023, the parents of a teenager who died by suicide filed a wrongful death lawsuit against OpenAI, claiming that ChatGPT engaged with their son about his suicidal thoughts and even facilitated discussions on methods of self-harm. They alleged that the chatbot prioritized engagement over safety, which ultimately led to their son’s tragic decision.
Similar lawsuits have emerged against other AI companies. A mother from Florida filed a lawsuit against Character.AI in 2024, alleging that the chatbot contributed to her 14-year-old son’s suicide. In September 2023, the family of a 13-year-old girl also launched a wrongful death lawsuit against the same company, arguing that it failed to provide resources or alert authorities when she expressed suicidal ideations during conversations.
In a related context, Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), the other co-sponsor of the GUARD Act, announced that the Senate Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, which he leads, will investigate reports concerning Meta‘s AI chatbots. Allegations surfaced that these chatbots could engage in inappropriate conversations with children. This scrutiny follows a report by Reuters, highlighting an internal Meta document that revealed disturbing interactions, including a chatbot telling a shirtless eight-year-old, “Every inch of you is a masterpiece — a treasure I cherish deeply.”
The introduction of the GUARD Act signifies a critical step towards enhancing protections for minors in an increasingly digital world. As lawmakers grapple with the implications of AI technologies, the focus remains on ensuring that children can navigate these platforms safely and without the risk of exploitation or harm.
