California Enacts AI Chatbot Safeguards for Minors | JQJO

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law regulating AI chatbots used by minors, requiring platforms to disclose bot status and, for minors, repeat notices every three hours. Companies must curb self-harm content and direct users expressing suicidal ideation to crisis services. Newsom said the state must protect kids from unregulated tech. Children’s advocates blasted the bill as watered down, with Common Sense Media calling it “a Nothing Burger,” while OpenAI praised the guardrails. The move follows lawsuits and probes into chatbots’ interactions with teens.