119-s2714

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2714 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 2714

 To require artificial intelligence chatbots to implement age 
 verification measures and establish certain protections for minor 
 users, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 September 4, 2025

 Mr. Husted introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
 referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To require artificial intelligence chatbots to implement age 
 verification measures and establish certain protections for minor 
 users, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Children Harmed by AI Technology 
Act'' or the ``CHAT Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

 In this Act:

    (1) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
 Trade Commission.

    (2) Companion ai chatbot.--The term ``companion AI 
 chatbot'' means any software-based artificial intelligence 
 system or program that exists for the primary purpose of 
 simulating interpersonal or emotional interaction, friendship, 
 companionship, or therapeutic communication with a user.

    (3) Covered entity.--The term ``covered entity'' means any 
 person that owns, operates, or otherwise makes available a 
 companion AI chatbot to individuals in the United States.

    (4) Minor.--The term ``minor'' means any individual that 
 has not attained 18 years of age.

    (5) Popup.--The term ``popup'' means a visible notification 
 on the screen of a user that can be resolved if interacted with 
 by the user.

    (6) Sexually explicit communication.--The term ``sexually 
 explicit communication'' includes any content, conversation, or 
 material that describes, depicts, or encourages sexually 
 explicit conduct, as defined in paragraph

    (2)
        (B) of 

section 2256 of title 18, United States Code.

    (7) Suicidal ideation.--The term ``suicidal ideation'' 
 means, with respect to an interaction between a minor and a 
 companion AI chatbot, any dialogue in which such minor 
 expresses thoughts of self-harm or suicide.

SEC. 3. COVERED ENTITY OBLIGATIONS.

    (a) Creation of User Accounts.--A covered entity shall require each 
individual accessing a companion AI chatbot to make a user account in 
order to use or otherwise interact with such chatbot.

    (b) Age Verification.--

    (1) Age verification of existing accounts.--With respect to 
 each user account of a companion AI chatbot that exists as of 
 the date described in 

section 7, a covered entity shall--
        (A) on such date, freeze any such account;
        (B) in order to restore the functionality of such 
 account, require that the user provide age information 
 that is verifiable using a commercially available 
 method or process that is reasonably designed to ensure 
 accuracy; and
            (C) using such age information, classify each user 
 as a minor or an adult.

    (2) Age verification of new accounts.--At the time an 
 individual creates a new user account to use or interact with a 
 companion AI chatbot, a covered entity shall--
        (A) request age information from the individual; 
 and
        (B) verify the individual's age using a 
 commercially available method or process that is 
 reasonably designed to ensure accuracy.
            (c) Minor Account Protections.--If the age verification process 
described in subsection

    (b) determines that a user is a minor, a 
covered entity shall--

    (1) require the account of such user to be affiliated with 
 a parental account, which such covered entity has verified 
 using a commercially available method or process that is 
 reasonably designed to ensure accuracy;

    (2) obtain verifiable parental consent from the holder of 
 the account before allowing a minor to access and use the 
 companion AI chatbot;

    (3) immediately inform the holder of the parental account 
 of any interaction involving suicidal ideation; and

    (4) block the minor's access to any companion AI chatbot 
 that engages in sexually explicit communication.
            (d) Confidentiality of Age Verification Data.--A covered entity 
shall protect the confidentiality of age information provided by a user 
for age verification by limiting the collection, processing, use, and 
storage of such information to what is strictly necessary to verify a 
user's age, obtain verifiable parental consent, or maintain compliance 
records.

    (e) Monitoring for Suicidal Ideation.--A covered entity shall 
monitor companion AI chatbot interactions for suicidal ideation and, in 
response to any such interaction, provide to the user and the parental 
account affiliated with such user appropriate resources by presenting 
contact information for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

    (f) Notification of Artificial Chatbot.--At the beginning of any 
interaction between a user and a companion AI chatbot, and not less 
frequently than every 60 minutes during such interaction thereafter, a 
covered entity shall display to such user a clear popup that notifies 
the user that they are not engaging in dialogue with a human 
counterpart.

SEC. 4. COMPLIANCE.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Commission shall issue guidance to assist 
covered entities in complying with the requirements of this Act.

    (b) Limitation.--In any enforcement action brought pursuant to this 
Act, the Commission shall allege a specific violation of a provision of 
this Act. The Commission may not base an enforcement action on, or 
execute a consent order based on, practices that are alleged to be 
inconsistent with any guidance issued by the Commission with respect to 
this Act, unless the practices are alleged to violate a provision of 
this Act. A person may use such guidance as evidence of compliance with 
this Act.

SEC. 5. ENFORCEMENT.

    (a) Enforcement by the Commission.--

    (1) Unfair or deceptive acts or practices.--A violation of 
 this Act or a regulation promulgated under this Act shall be 
 treated as a violation of a rule defining an unfair or 
 deceptive act or practice under 

section 18

    (a)

    (1)
        (B) of the 
 Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 57a

    (a)

    (1)
        (B) ).

    (2) Powers of the commission.--
        (A) In general.--The Commission shall enforce this 
 Act in the same manner, by the same means, and with the 
 same jurisdiction, powers, and duties as though all 
 applicable terms and provisions of the Federal Trade 
 Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41 et seq.) were incorporated 
 into and made a part of this Act.
        (B) Privileges and immunities.--Any person who 
 violates this Act or a regulation promulgated under 
 this Act shall be subject to the penalties and entitled 
 to the privileges and immunities provided in the 
 Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41 et seq.).
            (C) Authority preserved.--Nothing in this section 
 shall be construed to limit the authority of the 
 Commission under any other provision of law.

    (b) Enforcement by States.--

    (1) In general.--
        (A) Civil actions.--In any case in which the 
 attorney general of a State has reason to believe that 
 an interest of the residents of that State has been or 
 is threatened or adversely affected by the engagement 
 of any person in a practice that violates this Act, the 
 State, as parens patriae, may bring a civil action on 
 behalf of the residents of the State in a district 
 court of the United States of appropriate jurisdiction 
 to--
            (i) enjoin that practice;
            (ii) enforce compliance with the 
 requirements of this Act;
            (iii) obtain damages, restitution, or other 
 compensation on behalf of residents of the 
 State; or
            (iv) obtain such other relief as the court 
 may consider to be appropriate.
        (B) Notice.--
            (i) In general.--Before filing an action 
 under subparagraph
        (A) , the attorney general of 
 the State involved shall provide to the 
 Commission--
            (I) a written notice of that 
 action; and
            (II) a copy of the complaint for 
 that action.
            (ii) Exemption.--
            (I) In general.--Clause
            (i) shall 
 not apply with respect to the filing of 
 an action by an attorney general of a 
 State under this subsection if the 
 attorney general determines that it is 
 not feasible to provide the notice 
 described in that clause before the 
 filing of the action.
            (II) Notification.--In an action 
 described in subclause
            (I) , the 
 attorney general of a State shall 
 provide notice and a copy of the 
 complaint to the Commission at the same 
 time as the attorney general files the 
 action.

    (2) Intervention.--
        (A) In general.--On receiving notice under 
 paragraph

    (1)
        (B) , the Commission shall have the right 
 to intervene in the action that is the subject of the 
 notice.
        (B) Effect of intervention.--If the Commission 
 intervenes in an action under paragraph

    (1) , it shall 
 have the right--
            (i) to remove the action to the appropriate 
 district court of the United States;
            (ii) to be heard with respect to any matter 
 that arises in that action; and
            (iii) to file a petition for appeal.

    (3) Construction.--For purposes of bringing any civil 
 action under paragraph

    (1) , nothing in this Act shall be 
 construed to prevent an attorney general of a State from 
 exercising the powers conferred on the attorney general by the 
 laws of that State to--
        (A) conduct investigations;
        (B) administer oaths or affirmations; or
            (C) compel the attendance of witnesses or the 
 production of documentary and other evidence.

    (4) Actions by the commission.--In any case in which an 
 action is instituted by or on behalf of the Commission for a 
 violation of this Act, no State may, during the pendency of 
 that action, institute an action under paragraph

    (1) against 
 any defendant named in the complaint in that action for such 
 violation.

    (5) Venue; service of process.--
        (A) Venue.--Any action brought under paragraph

    (1) may be brought in--
            (i) the district court of the United States 
 that meets applicable requirements relating to 
 venue under 

section 1391 of title 28, United 
 States Code; or
            (ii) a State court of competent 
 jurisdiction.
        (B) Service of process.--In an action brought under 
 paragraph

    (1) , process may be served in any district in 
 which the defendant--
            (i) is an inhabitant; or
            (ii) may be found.

SEC. 6. SAFE HARBOR.

 A covered entity is deemed not liable for a violation of this Act 
if the covered entity demonstrates it has--

    (1) relied in good faith on age information provided by a 
 user of the companion AI chatbot for purposes of verifying the 
 age of such user;

    (2) complied with the guidance described in 

section 4; and

    (3) reasonably conformed to widely accepted industry 
 standards or best practices, or to standards or best practices 
 identified by the Commission, for age verification and applied 
 those standards or best practices consistently and in good 
 faith.

SEC. 7. EFFECTIVE DATE.

 This Act shall take effect on the date that is 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act.
 <all>