WASHINGTON, DC — The Young People's Alliance (YPA) celebrates the New York Legislature's unanimous passage of S.9051 and A.10379, the strongest AI chatbot kids safety legislation in the country. Having cleared both chambers, the bill now heads to Governor Kathy Hochul's desk. YPA is calling on the Governor to sign it into law without weakening its protections.
Sponsored by Sen. Gonzalez and Assemblymember Alex Bores and backed by Attorney General Letitia James, the bill establishes the nation's most comprehensive safeguards for young people using AI chatbot products such as Character.AI, Replika, Nomi, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. Among its provisions, the legislation:
- Includes general purpose chatbots in the definition, meaning ChatGPT and Claude have to take steps to protect young people
- Uses age assurance to identify minors and restrict access to harmful features
- Includes protections from human-like features and severely limits chatbots' ability to form emotional attachments to minors
- Includes a private right of action allowing New Yorkers, not just regulators, to hold these companies accountable
"This package highlights what happens when lawmakers listen to young advocates. We are not just seeing baseline protections for the most extreme harms, but also for the manipulative features that keep our generation hooked to and emotionally dependent on these technologies" said Mick Tobin, Advocacy Director at the Young People's Alliance. "We're glad to see elements of the human-like framework we've advocated for included in the language for this bill, aiming to restrict emotional attachment, sexual, and self-harming behaviors from being encouraged to minors' interactions with these chatbots. This is currently the strongest AI companion legislation in the country and we hope to see Gov. Hochul carry it across the finish line intact."
YPA is proud to advocate for this legislation as part of a broad coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to protecting young people online. We are grateful to our partners, including Common Sense Media, and to the legislators and Attorney General James for their leadership in getting this bill across the line.
As these bills now move to the Governor's desk, YPA urges Gov. Hochul to maintain the full strength of the legislation, ensuring New York sets the standard for the nation on AI chatbot regulation and delivers real protections to New York's kids.
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About Young People's Alliance: Young People's Alliance is a bipartisan, Gen Z-led nonprofit with 4,000+ members across 90+ campuses in 16 states. The organization is focused on creating a new American Dream through advocacy on creating opportunity, affordability, and community for young people.
Media Contact: Sparkle Rainey | sparkle@youngpeoplesalliance.org
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About Young People's Alliance: Young People's Alliance is a bipartisan, Gen Z-led nonprofit with 4,000+ members across 90+ campuses in 16 states. The organization is focused on creating a new American Dream through advocacy on creating opportunity, affordability, and community for young people.
Contact: press@youngpeoplesalliance.org