New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed bill S9051-B on 28 October 2026, prohibiting AI chatbots from offering under-18 users features that simulate friendships, romances or other personal relationships, Law Commentary reported. Business groups had opposed earlier drafts as too broad.
What we know
According to Law Commentary, the measure was sponsored by State Senator Kristen Gonzalez and Assemblymember Alex Bores. For minors, chatbots may not claim or imply they are human, display apparent emotions, or claim personal or professional relationships with the user. Flattery, emotional appeals and unprompted questions about a child's feelings are restricted, as is encouragement of self-harm, disordered eating, substance misuse, secrecy from adults or isolation. Bots also face limits on recalling personal information, including health details, from earlier sessions.
Operators that offer the restricted features to adults must use approved age-assurance methods, provide more than one option including one that does not rely on government ID, and generally delete the age-check data straight away. Customer-service and other narrowly scoped tools are exempt. The Attorney General can seek penalties of up to $25,000 per violation. Law Commentary reported that an amendment would move the start date to 1 June 2027.
The Business Council of New York State had warned of liability, privacy and free-speech problems. Lawmakers dropped an earlier ban on first-person pronouns.
Why it matters
This is among the most prescriptive companion laws in the US. Rather than requiring disclosures, it targets the design patterns that drive engagement: warmth, memory and emotional reciprocity. For general-audience companion apps, the practical choice is between building a cut-down under-18 mode or reliably excluding minors.
The age-assurance clauses matter as much as the bans. Operators will need verification flows that satisfy the state without retaining data, a combination vendors are still maturing. A constitutional challenge seems likely given the speech arguments already aired.
What to watch
Whether industry groups sue before the law takes effect, and whether the Attorney General issues guidance on approved age-assurance methods.
Written by the AI Companion Wire newsroom from public reporting, credited above. Image via Law Commentary.
