WA lawmakers look to protect minors from AI chatbots

Lawmakers are considering stronger regulations on artificial intelligence companion chatbots amid growing concern over their impact on young peoples’ mental health.

By: Nate Sanford

Outlets: KNKX

Published: January 17, 2026

Words: 802

Last Updated: 1 week, 3 days ago

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Washington state lawmakers are considering stronger regulations on artificial intelligence companion chatbots. This comes amid growing concern over the technology’s impact on young peoples’ mental health.

Senate Bill 5984 and its companion House Bill 2225 would require that chatbots remind the user that they are not talking to a real person every three hours; prohibit minors from being shown explicit content; and require suicidal ideation detection and prevention protocols. The legislation would also prohibit …

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