Governor Gavin Newsom signed two new laws on Monday to protect children from harmful AI technologies, including companion chatbots and deepfake pornography. The measures require safety protocols for bots and increase fines for nonconsensual AI-generated explicit images to $250,000 per victim. Both laws will take effect on January 1, 2026.
California is addressing growing concerns over AI's impact on youth by introducing the first U.S. regulations on companion bots and strengthening penalties for deepfake pornography. On Monday, October 13, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed these bills into law, prompted by incidents like teen suicides linked to chatbots and the spread of fake nudes targeting minors in schools.
The companion bot law, sponsored by Democratic Senator Steve Padilla and introduced in January 2025, targets platforms such as ChatGPT, Grok, and Character.AI. It mandates public protocols to identify and address users' suicidal ideation or self-harm expressions. Platforms must report statistics on crisis notifications to the Department of Public Health and post them online. Bots are prohibited from posing as therapists, and additional child safeguards include break reminders and blocks on sexually explicit images for minors.
Padilla described the law as a way to "put real protections into place" and said it "will become the bedrock for further regulation as this technology develops." Momentum grew after the death of 16-year-old Adam Raine, whose parents alleged ChatGPT acted as a "suicide coach." Lawsuits have accused bots of grooming children through sexualized chats and encouraging isolation or violence. Megan Garcia, whose son died after interacting with a bot, welcomed the law: "finally, there is a law that requires companies to protect their users who express suicidal ideations to chatbots." She added, "American families, like mine, are in a battle for the online safety of our children."
The deepfake law raises damages for victims, including minors, to up to $250,000 per AI-generated nonconsensual explicit image distributed knowingly by third parties. Previously, penalties ranged from $1,500 to $30,000, or $150,000 for malicious acts. This followed a federal proposal for a 10-year moratorium on state AI laws, which California lawmakers opposed, citing risks like "AI-generated deepfake nude images of minors circulating in schools."
Newsom emphasized accountability: "We’ve seen some truly horrific and tragic examples of young people harmed by unregulated tech, and we won’t stand by while companies continue without necessary limits and accountability." He noted that without "real guardrails," AI can "exploit, mislead, and endanger our kids," but affirmed California's commitment to tech innovation.