SB 243: Companion chatbots.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

Existing law requires a social media platform to take various steps to prevent cyberbullying of minors on the platform, including by requiring the platform to establish a prominent mechanism within its internet-based service that allows any individual, whether or not that individual has a profile on the internet-based service, to report cyberbullying or any content that violates the existing terms of service related to cyberbullying. Existing law authorizes the State Department of Public Health to establish the Office of Suicide Prevention in the department, as prescribed.

This bill would, among other things related to making a companion chatbot platform safer for users, if a reasonable person interacting with a companion chatbot would be misled to believe that the person is interacting with a human, require an operator of a companion chatbot platform to issue a clear and conspicuous notification indicating that the companion chatbot is artificially generated and not human. The bill would also require an operator to take certain actions with respect to a user the operator knows is a minor, including disclose to the user that the user is interacting with artificial intelligence. The bill would also require an operator to prevent a companion chatbot on its companion chatbot platform from engaging with users unless the operator maintains a protocol for preventing the production of suicidal ideation, suicide, or self-harm content to the user, as specified, and would require an operator to publish details on that protocol on the operator’s internet website.

This bill would, beginning July 1, 2027, require an operator to annually report to the Office of Suicide Prevention certain things, including protocols put in place to detect, remove, and respond to instances of suicidal ideation by users, and would require the office to post data from that report on its internet website. The bill would authorize a person who suffers injury in fact as a result of noncompliance with the bill to bring a certain civil action.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 7

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. October 13, 2025Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 677, Statutes of 2025.
2. October 13, 2025Approved by the Governor.
3. September 22, 2025Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11 a.m.
4. September 11, 2025Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 33. Noes 3. Page 2880.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
5. September 10, 2025In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
6. September 10, 2025Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 59. Noes 1. Page 3189.) Ordered to the Senate.
7. September 4, 2025Ordered to third reading.
8. September 4, 2025Read third time and amended.
9. September 2, 2025Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
10. August 29, 2025From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 13. Noes 1.) (August 29).
11. August 20, 2025August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
12. July 16, 2025From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 1.) (July 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.