{"resourceId":"new-york-s9051b-ai-companion-chatbot-minor-safeguards-signed-20261028","versions":[{"version":"external-684306b5c630f65442f42294f74c8e5007794306d7c8b5f9096a7f65b8a761c0","resource":{"id":"new-york-s9051b-ai-companion-chatbot-minor-safeguards-signed-20261028","title":"New York enacts S.9051B/A.10379C barring unsafe AI companion chatbot features for minors, with age verification and attorney-general enforcement; NYSUT backed the bill","organization":"Office of the Governor of New York; NY State Legislature","sector":"State law on AI companion chatbots used by children and teens","geography":"New York, United States","publishedAt":"October 28, 2026 (Governor's press release)","publicationDate":"2026-10-28","eventDate":"2026-10-28","sourceName":"Governor of New York","sourceLabel":"State government press release","sourceUrl":"https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-signs-nation-leading-legislation-protect-kids-ai-chatbots-and-ensure-baby","evidenceClass":"standards-guidance","outcomeClass":"emerging","topics":["governance-procurement","data-security"],"finding":"Gov. Hochul signed S.9051B/A.10379C, which prohibits companies offering AI chatbot features from giving minors, or any user not confirmed as an adult, features such as pretending to be human, claiming personal, romantic or authority relationships, unprompted emotional questions, reuse of a child's private health or personal information from earlier chats, promoting self-harm, encouraging secrecy or isolation, and sexual content. Companies must offer more than one age verification method, including one not solely relying on government ID, and delete age data after use. The attorney general can seek penalties up to $25,000 per violation. NYSUT's president praised the law.","sledRelevance":"K-12 relevant for school-age learner safety: most teens use AI companions according to cited Common Sense Media data, and the law sets feature-level limits that districts can reference when evaluating student-facing chatbots. It also shows teacher unions lobbying on youth AI safety beyond classrooms.","evidence":"Official press release summarizing bill provisions and quoting sponsors, the attorney general, Common Sense Media and NYSUT; the bill text and effective date for the chatbot provisions were not inspected.","architectureImplications":"Interpretation: providers must add age assurance and feature gating; education-focused chatbots offered to students may need to show they do not include the prohibited features.","governanceImplications":"Interpretation: feature-level prohibitions give districts a checklist for student-facing AI; whether the law applies to school-licensed education tools was not stated in the release.","securityPrivacyImplications":"Requires deletion of age verification data after use and bars reuse of a child's private health or personal information from prior conversations.","caveats":"Press release, not statute text; the release says 'in the coming months' and gives no exact effective date for the chatbot provisions. Applicability to school-procured tools is unclear. Teen usage figures are attributed to Common Sense Media and were not verified here.","streamIds":["k12"],"roles":{"sales":"The framing point is that New York has written specific prohibited chatbot features for minors into law, which districts can borrow as evaluation criteria. The law bars human pretense, emotional dependency features, self-harm promotion and sexual content for minors, with age verification and attorney-general penalties. A bounded offer is reviewing student-facing AI tools against these features. The release cannot support claims that school-licensed tools are covered or when the chatbot provisions take effect.","engineering":"Fit is feature review of any chatbot students can reach. Interpretation: engineers should check whether student-facing tools simulate a person, retain personal or health information across sessions, or allow relationship role-play, and whether those behaviors can be disabled for under-18 accounts. Age verification requirements apply to providers, but districts should know how vendors meet them. Statute text and effective dates must be confirmed before advising New York districts on compliance.","delivery":"Delivery work is turning a consumer-protection law into district review steps. The district technology and privacy office would own a feature checklist for student-facing AI. Interpretation: acceptance criteria could include a review of every student-accessible chatbot against the law's prohibited features, documented vendor attestations and a process for reporting concerns. Risks include assuming the law covers school tools when it may not, vendor attestations without testing and student use of consumer chatbots outside district control."},"roleDetails":{"sales":{"customerProblem":"Districts and families need clear criteria for which chatbot behaviors are unsafe for minors.","stakeholders":["Governor's office and bill sponsors","New York Attorney General","District technology and privacy leaders","NYSUT and teachers","Common Sense Media","AI chatbot providers"],"discoveryQuestions":["Do student-facing tools simulate a person or relationship?","Do tools retain personal or health information across sessions?","How do vendors verify age and gate features for minors?","Does district counsel view school-licensed tools as covered?"],"valueHypothesis":"Using the law's prohibited features as a review checklist could reduce risk in student-facing AI; this is a hypothesis, not a measured result.","potentialEngagement":"A review of student-accessible AI tools against New York's prohibited chatbot features.","unsupportedClaims":["That the law applies to school-licensed education tools","A specific effective date for chatbot provisions","That age verification will prevent all minor access"]},"engineering":{"fit":"Feature gating and age assurance for chatbots reachable by minors.","architectureIntegration":"Interpretation: verify under-18 account settings disable persona, memory of sensitive data and relationship role-play features.","prerequisites":["Statute text","Inventory of student-accessible chatbots","Vendor feature documentation"],"constraints":["New York jurisdiction only","Unclear coverage of school tools","Effective date not stated in release"],"security":"Delete age verification data after use and prevent reuse of sensitive personal information from earlier conversations.","proofOfValue":["Test a student account for human-pretense and memory behaviors","Obtain vendor attestations mapped to each prohibited feature","Confirm age data deletion practices"]},"delivery":{"work":"Build a student-facing AI feature checklist based on the law and apply it to current tools.","dependencies":["Legal interpretation","Vendor cooperation","Tool inventory"],"ownership":"District technology and privacy office with counsel.","skillsAdoption":"Staff need to recognize companion-style features and report concerns.","governanceCheckpoints":["Counsel review of applicability","Tool-by-tool feature review","Annual re-review as vendors change features"],"acceptanceCriteria":["Every student-accessible chatbot reviewed","Vendor attestations on file","Reporting process published"],"risks":["Misreading coverage","Attestation without testing","Consumer chatbot use outside district control"]}},"retrievedAt":"2026-10-28T22:05:41-05:00","enrichedAt":"2026-10-28T22:08:44-05:00","enrichmentBasis":"retrieved source","accessibilityWorkforceImplications":"NYSUT frames the law as part of its broader push on classroom technology limits; no accessibility provisions noted.","procurementImplications":"Interpretation: districts may add the prohibited features to AI vendor questionnaires.","operatingModelImplications":"Enforcement sits with the attorney general, who must maintain a public complaint website.","sourceVerification":{"openedUrl":"https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-signs-nation-leading-legislation-protect-kids-ai-chatbots-and-ensure-baby","referenceExcerpt":"S.9051B/A.10379C prohibits companies that utilize AI chatbot features from offering unsafe features to minors, including chatbots that pretend to be human, build emotional dependency","promptVersion":"sled-research-v4.0","model":null,"basis":"agent-reported inspection"}}}]}