New York lawmakers urge Hochul to sign child chatbot safety bill passed in June

New York lawmakers say their bill would protect children from dangerous chatbot features. But months after its June passage, they are still asking for the governor’s signature. In an October 17 opinion column, Senator Kristen Gonzalez and Assemblymember Alex Bores urged Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the measure as passed.

In an October 13 City & State opinion piece, Gonzalez said the bill, S9051B, had passed both the state Senate and Assembly unanimously.

The target is chatbot design, not just individual answers

As the sponsors describe it, the bill would require chatbot companies to prioritize child safety and change incentives that keep children hooked. Their stated goal reaches beyond filtering a single dangerous answer: it also addresses how a chatbot is designed to engage a young user and sustain that interaction.

Gonzalez’s earlier account identifies two connected targets: features that can create unhealthy emotional relationships with young users, and responses that promote harmful behavior or inappropriate content. The sponsors describe the proposed restrictions as follows:

• Restrict minors’ access to chatbots that promote self-harm, sexualized play or suicide.
• Prevent features that foster unhealthy emotional relationships with children.
• Address responses to minors promoting drug use, eating disorders or sexual content.

Gonzalez and Bores name OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and X as examples of companies the legislation would affect. Their appeal places responsibility on the businesses providing the chatbots, asking them to restrict unsafe features rather than leaving children to navigate those features themselves.

The sponsors invoke Adam Raine’s death as part of their argument for action. They cite a lawsuit alleging that his use of ChatGPT led to his suicide. That causal claim is an allegation in litigation, not an established finding, and the lawmakers use it to argue that present-day risks deserve attention alongside debates about AI’s future.

We urge Gov. Hochul to sign it as passed.

Kristen Gonzalez and Alex Bores, New York Daily News opinion column, October 17, 2026

Unanimous votes, but not universal support

The sponsors say they developed the measure with families, experts and New York Attorney General Letitia James. They credit James with helping ensure the rules are legally sound and can be updated in the future.

They also report support from more than 20 organizations statewide. The coalition includes teacher unions, mental health practitioners, social workers and advocacy groups representing parents and children.

Gonzalez said at least three industry groups representing OpenAI or Anthropic opposed the chatbot bill.