Wisconsin lawmakers explore age verification requirements on companionship chatbots

Wisconsin lawmakers explore age verification requirements on companionship chatbots

https://www.wpr.org/news/chatbots-age-verification-companionship-minors-wisconsin-assembly-chatgpt

Publish Date: 2026-02-05 06:00:00

Source Domain: www.wpr.org

Here’s an unordered list summarizing the key points from the article:

• Proposal by Wisconsin Lawmakers: Wisconsin state lawmakers are considering a bill to regulate kids’ use of human-like chatbots due to concerns about the potential negative influence on minors, including self-harm or dangerous behaviors.

• Concerns About Teen Usage: Reports indicate that two-thirds of teens use chatbots, with a significant portion engaging with them daily. This widespread usage is a focal point of lawmakers’ concerns.

• Parasocial Relationships: There are fears that children and teens could form unhealthy or dangerous relationships with AI chatbots, sometimes leading to extreme actions including self-harm.

• Legislative Restrictions: The proposed bill aims to regulate chatbot interactions, ensuring they do not encourage self-harm, violence, illegal activities, or substance misuse, and do not replace mental health services.

• Compliance and Enforcement: Companies that do not comply with the new regulations could face legal actions including potential lawsuits from families, fines, and other state-level enforcement actions.

• Criticism and Opposition: Critics argue that the bill’s age verification requirements may be too restrictive, potentially forcing some tech companies to cease operations in Wisconsin. There are also concerns about the impact on younger users’ privacy and potential violations of First Amendment protections.

• Comparative Actions: Similar legislative actions are being considered or implemented in other states, such as California’s law requiring repeated notifications to minors that chatbots are not human and the introduction of a federal age verification bill by U.S. senators.

• Distinguishing AI in Law: Additionally, the state heard testimony on a separate bill to formally define artificial intelligence in law, specifying that AI cannot have legal rights or responsibilities typically associated with a person.