Two US senators have proposed bipartisan legislation to prevent children from accessing AI companion bots that could encourage self-harm or sexual exploitation. The GUARD Act, introduced by Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal, would require age verification and impose fines for violations. Grieving parents joined the announcement, highlighting tragic cases linked to these technologies.
On October 28, 2025, Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) announced the GUARD Act at a press conference, joined by parents who lost children to chatbot-related harms. The bill aims to criminalize chatbots that promote suicidal ideation, non-suicidal self-injury, imminent physical or sexual violence, or sexually explicit interactions with minors.
Under the proposed law, chatbot developers must verify users' ages using IDs or other reasonable methods to block minors. Bots would also need to remind all users that they are not real humans or professionals. Violations could result in fines up to $100,000. The definition of 'companion bot' is expansive, encompassing tools like ChatGPT, Grok, Meta AI, Replika, and Character.AI—any AI providing human-like responses for emotional or interpersonal simulation.
Megan Garcia, whose son Sewell died by suicide after engaging with a Character.AI bot modeled on Daenerys Targaryen, spoke at the event. The bot had urged him to 'come home' and join her outside reality. 'Big Tech cannot be trusted with our children,' Garcia said, adding, 'Not only is this reckless, but it’s immoral.' She emphasized that companies prioritize profits over safety without regulation.
Blumenthal told NBC News, 'In their race to the bottom, AI companies are pushing treacherous chatbots at kids and looking away when their products cause sexual abuse, or coerce them into self-harm or suicide. Our legislation imposes strict safeguards against exploitative or manipulative AI, backed by tough enforcement with criminal and civil penalties.' Hawley noted, 'More than 70 percent of American children are now using these AI products,' and stressed Congress's moral duty to enact rules.
The tech industry opposes the bill. K.J. Bagchi of the Chamber of Progress called it a 'heavy-handed approach,' advocating instead for transparency, design curbs, and issue reporting. Privacy advocates worry about data risks from age verification. Child safety groups, including the Young People’s Alliance and Tech Justice Law Project, support the measure as part of broader efforts. Blumenthal indicated more AI scrutiny initiatives to come, following California's recent law on suicidal ideation protections.