US regulatory attention on AI companion platforms has zeroed in on one of the most technically and commercially sensitive questions in the category: how companion apps actually enforce their minimum age requirements, as opposed to how they state them in their terms of service. The FTC’s inquiry into the category includes specific examination of age […]
One of the four specific areas in the FTC’s AI companion chatbot inquiry is how platforms warn parents about the risks their children face when using these products. This question targets a gap that advocates have identified repeatedly: companion apps that are technically designed for adults are routinely used by teenagers, and the platforms’ parental […]
The FTC’s inquiry into AI companion chatbots has a specific focus that goes beyond whether platforms have safety features — it asks how platforms test for teen safety before and after they launch features. This is a significantly higher accountability bar than “we have a terms of service that says users must be 18.” It […]
As part of its formal inquiry into AI chatbots used as companions, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent detailed information requests to seven AI chatbot companies, specifically asking about risks their products create for children and teenagers. The requests are part of the same inquiry launched in September 2025 but represent a focused child-safety […]
California’s AI companion legislation includes a requirement that has received less attention than the disclosure and age restriction rules but may have the most direct impact on user safety: platforms must publish a documented crisis safety plan — a formal description of how they respond when users express distress, suicidal ideation, or other crisis indicators […]
California’s AI companion legislation includes an explicit prohibition on sexual content in AI chatbot interactions with users under 18. This requirement addresses one of the most direct safety concerns regulators have identified in the companion and character AI category: that platforms with adult content features have insufficient barriers preventing younger users from accessing that content. […]
California’s AI companion legislation includes a specific requirement for platforms serving users under 18: mandatory break reminders built into the chat experience. Rather than allowing unlimited continuous interaction, platforms subject to the law must implement features that interrupt extended sessions and prompt teenage users to step away. For ai girlfriend South Africa users and parents […]
California has introduced a specific disclosure requirement for AI companion platforms: the companion must tell users — within the chat experience — that it is an AI chatbot, not a human being. This requirement, part of California’s broader AI companion chatbot legislation, directly targets the design patterns that have caused the most significant confusion and […]
Oregon and Washington have joined California and New York in passing legislation that places specific requirements on AI companion platforms — making the Pacific Northwest the second US regional cluster with active AI companion law on the books. For ai girlfriend South Africa users and anyone following the US regulatory map for companion apps, the […]
Survey data from the United States has found that approximately 72% of US teenagers have tried an AI companion app or chatbot — a figure that has accelerated the urgency of the regulatory attention now being paid to the category. For ai girlfriend South Africa users and parents thinking about the companion app category and […]