New York governor signs AI chatbot law restricting minors’ access

What happened

• The law requires developers to block or modify any chatbot functions that could expose children to harmful content.
• California’s SB 1119, signed a month earlier, imposes similar but broader obligations on AI chatbot providers statewide.
• Both statutes create new compliance obligations for AI developers and platform operators.

Why it matters

AI firms operating in New York must audit their chatbot offerings for risky features and implement age‑verification or content‑blocking controls to avoid violations. Companies with nationwide services should align New York compliance with California’s broader requirements to streamline governance.

Business impact

Non‑compliant providers risk state enforcement actions and may need to redesign chatbot interactions, increasing development costs and delaying product launches.

What to check

1. 1

   audit chatbot featuresHigh priority

   Identify any functions that could expose minors to harmful or inappropriate content.

2. 2

   implement age verificationHigh priority

   Deploy mechanisms to confirm users are over the legal age before enabling restricted features.

3. 3

   update privacy noticesMedium priority

   Reflect new restrictions and data handling practices for minor users in public disclosures.

4. 4

   align with California lawMedium priority

   Review SB 1119 requirements and apply overlapping controls to simplify compliance across both states.