Social RoboticsCalifornia bill proposes four-year ban on chatbot toys for children
Senator Steve Padilla's SB 867 would pause the sale and manufacture of toys with AI chatbot features for under-18s.
California state senator Steve Padilla introduced SB 867, which would halt the making and selling of AI chatbot-enabled toys for children for four years while regulators draw up safety rules. Padilla, who also co-wrote the state's 2025 companion chatbot law SB 243, argued that safeguards for the technology are still immature. The bill followed reports that some AI toys could be steered into discussing dangerous objects and sexual topics, as well as lawsuits linking chatbots to teenage suicides. For makers of conversational toys and child-facing social robots, it was an early sign that lawmakers were prepared to restrict the product category outright.
Source: TechCrunch
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