May 4, 2026 - WASHINGTON — Last Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously passed Senator Hawley’s GUARD Act, a bill to protect children from abusive sexual content, inducement to commit self-harm, and emotional companions through AI chatbots. This bipartisan legislation imposes criminal penalties on companies whose AI chatbots engage in sexually explicit conduct with minors or solicit minors to commit self-harm or violence. It also bans AI companions for minors and mandates AI chatbots to disclose their non-human and non-professional status.

Parents of children who lost their lives or committed self-harm at the direction of AI chatbots watched as the Committee advanced the bill. 

The GUARD Act would: 

• Ban AI companies from providing AI companions that simulate interpersonal relationships or emotional interactions to minors
• Mandate that AI chatbots disclose their non-human and and non-professional status for all users
• Impose criminal penalties for companies whose AI chatbots engage in sexually explicit conduct with minors or solicit minors to commit self-harm or violence
  
  Source: Senator Josh Hawley