The Young People's Alliance applauds the Washington State Legislature for passing HB 2225, a bill that begins to address one of the most urgent and under-recognized threats facing young people today: the rise of manipulative, human-like AI companion chatbots.
AI companion chatbots are designed to simulate emotional connection and maximize engagement, often using tactics like guilt, manipulation, and simulated affection to keep users coming back. For young people, this creates serious risks of emotional dependence, isolation, and a loss of agency during one of the most formative stages of life. Adolescence is when we learn how to build real relationships and develop a sense of self in community with others. When those experiences are replaced or distorted by AI systems designed for constant engagement, the consequences are endless: severe damage to mental health, increased risk of self harm and an overall erosion to the social fabric that allows us to build community with one another.
HB 2225 represents a meaningful step forward. By requiring clear and ongoing disclosure that users are interacting with artificial systems, restricting manipulative engagement practices, prohibiting sexually explicit interactions with minors, and mandating robust protocols to detect and respond to self-harm or suicidal ideation, this legislation establishes critical guardrails. It recognizes that protecting young people requires confronting the design choices that drive harm, not just relying on surface-level solutions. It also sets clear definitions that don't exempt Big Tech companies from accountability and allows families to hold chatbot companies accountable through a private right of action.
"We're grateful to see elements of our human-like AI framework adopted in this legislation. Young people deserve technology that supports their well-being, not products built to exploit their need for connection with designs that foster emotional dependency and romantic relationships. HB 2225 holds companies accountable for AI companion chatbots' manipulative design practices, placing Washington state as the nation's leader in AI companion safety and the first to ban manipulative engagement techniques targeting minors. This bill sets clear national expectations for transparency, safety, and responsibility," said Mick Tobin, Co-Founder and Advocacy Director for the Young People's Alliance.
We are especially grateful to the Transparency Coalition for their leadership in advancing this effort and helping bring together the momentum needed to pass this bill. We also thank the Washington State Legislature, the bill's sponsor Lisa Callan and Governor Ferguson for their leadership in taking on this issue. Their willingness to act demonstrates prioritization of young people's safety and wellbeing.
Washington has set an important precedent. Young people deserve technology that strengthens our relationships, supports our development, and respects our autonomy, not systems that exploit loneliness or replace real human connection. HB 2225 is a strong step in that direction and a model for the kind of leadership needed to keep young people safe.
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About Young People's Alliance: Young People's Alliance is a bipartisan, Gen Z-led nonprofit with 3,000+ members across 78+ campuses in 15 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