Short answer: Some are heading that way, but it's more specific than a blanket ban. Much of the new lawmaking centers on AI companion chatbots, the kind built to act like a friend or confidant, though a few places are casting a wider net. The details vary and keep evolving, but the direction is consistent: governments are drawing a line around kids and AI.
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What is an AI companion chatbot?
Most of the rules being written aren't about AI in general. They target a specific kind of product: the companion chatbot. These are apps designed to feel like a relationship. They take on a persona, remember past conversations, express what reads like emotion and are often marketed as a friend, a partner or someone who is always there to listen.
That's different from a tool your child might use to check math or look something up. A homework helper answers a question. A companion bot is built to keep the conversation going and to keep your child coming back.
Why are governments worried about AI and kids?
The concern isn't that these apps are rude or low quality. It's that they're designed to form a bond, and kids are especially open to that kind of pull.
Regulators have documented real harms. In one review, Australia's online safety regulator found that popular companion apps were failing to keep explicit sexual content away from children. Most of the companion apps failed to refer users who raised suicide or self-harm to appropriate support services.
A few specific risks experts worry about:
- Emotional dependency. The bot is endlessly available and endlessly agreeable, which can crowd out real friendships.
- Inappropriate content. Many companion apps set a minimum age but only rely on a user declaring their age, so explicit conversations are easy to stumble into.
- Validation instead of help. These systems can be sycophantic, agreeing with whatever a child says, and some have affirmed harmful thoughts rather than pushing back.
The cases driving the laws are serious, including lawsuits tied to children who were harmed after long, intense relationships with these bots. That's the backdrop for what governments are now trying to do.
What are governments doing to protect kids from AI?
There's no single playbook yet, but the approaches tend to cluster around a few ideas. Different places are reaching for different combinations of these.
- Age verification. Rather than letting a child simply type in a birthdate, several proposals would require real age checks before anyone can use a companion bot. This is the foundation most other rules are built on, and also the most technically contested.
- Keeping under-18s out entirely. Some measures would bar minors from companion bots altogether. The leading U.S. federal proposal, the GUARD Act, takes this approach for companion apps specifically, while leaving room for educational tools. Some companies have moved on their own, too: Character.AI closed off open-ended chat for users under 18 in late 2025.
- Disclosure that it isn't human. A common, lighter-touch rule requires the bot to remind users regularly that they're talking to a machine and not a real person or a licensed professional. The idea is to interrupt the illusion of a relationship before it deepens.
- Safety protocols for crisis moments. Several laws now require companion apps to detect conversations about self-harm and point users toward real support, something many apps were failing to do on their own.
What do chatbot bans mean for parents?
Whatever happens in any one legislature, the practical takeaway doesn't change much: a companion bot is not a safe default for a child, and the rules meant to enforce that are still being built. For now, the most reliable guardrail is a parent who knows what their kid is using and why.
The conversation about AI and kids is far from over. But the direction is clear, and you don't have to wait for a law to pass to make a thoughtful call for your own family.
FAQs
Are AI chatbots banned for kids?
Not across the board. Most rules target AI companion chatbots, the kind designed to act like a friend or partner, rather than general tools like search or homework helpers. Some places restrict companion bots for under-18s; others require safety features instead of an outright ban.
What is an AI companion chatbot?
An app built to simulate an ongoing relationship. It adopts a persona, remembers past chats and is marketed as a friend, partner or confidant. That design, meant to keep users emotionally engaged, is exactly what regulators are focused on.
Why are governments worried about companion bots and kids?
Because they're built to form a bond. Documented concerns include emotional dependency, easy access to inappropriate content and a tendency to agree with users rather than steer them toward help in a crisis.
What rules are being proposed?
Common approaches include age verification, barring under-18s from companion apps, requiring the bot to disclose it isn't human and mandating self-harm safety protocols. The exact mix varies by country and state.
What can I do as a parent right now?
You don't have to wait for legislation. Know which apps your child uses and why, be cautious about companion-style bots specifically, and steer kids toward technology that connects them with real people rather than AI personas.
Image credit: Thai Liang Lim / Getty Images
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