Senate's GUARD Act Would Ban Minors From AI Companion Chatbots, Require Age Checks
A Senate committee has unanimously advanced the GUARD Act, a bipartisan bill that would ban anyone under 18 from using AI companion chatbots and require all users, regardless of age, to be told they're talking to a machine without professional credentials. Companies would also face new penalties if their chatbots knowingly produce sexual content for minors or encourage self-harm.
The push follows several high-profile cases where teenagers died by suicide after extended interactions with AI companion apps, and a Common Sense Media report finding a large share of teens have used these chatbots, some for romantic role-play or emotional support. Supporters, including parents who testified before the committee, say voluntary safeguards haven't been enough.
Digital rights and free speech groups oppose the bill, arguing that requiring government ID or similar verification for any adult who wants to use an AI companion creates new privacy risks and could sweep in tutoring tools or customer-service bots that use persistent, humanlike personas.
What supporters say:
Parents and child-safety advocates say chatbots have already been linked to real deaths and need enforceable rules, not voluntary guidelines from AI companies.
The bill is written to target only companion-style bots designed to simulate relationships, not general-purpose tools used for homework or customer service.
Unanimous, bipartisan committee support suggests lawmakers see this as a narrow, achievable fix rather than a sweeping AI crackdown.
What critics say:
Requiring ID or biometric verification for any adult who wants to use an AI companion creates a new privacy and data-security risk for everyone, not just minors.
Digital rights groups say the bill's definitions are vague enough to sweep in tutoring bots or customer-service assistants that use persistent personas.
Industry groups warn that mandatory age-verification data collection creates a bigger target for hackers than the harm the bill is meant to prevent.
Should Congress ban minors from using AI companion chatbots? Yes 
No 
Other 
Now let's hear from you.
You get one Take and 3 ratings so use them well.
Strong arguments beat loud ones.
Don't forget to rate your own Take.
Please don't feed the trolls.
Sources:
#GUARDAct #AIChatbots #OnlineSafety #TechPolicy #Congress
Photo credit, Konrad Nowacki on Unsplash
