Youth AI Privacy Act
United StatesHigh threat- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- Became Law
Stage 1 of 4: Introduced
Forces AI chatbot makers to treat any user they think is a minor differently. The EFF warns this pushes services toward age checks anyway.
Latest update
Reported by committee
Take action
This bill is still moving, so there's still time to push back.
Take action on this issueContact LawmakersWhat it does
S.4199 would require AI chatbot companies to add "safe design features" on any account they believe belongs to a minor: telling users they are talking to a machine at the start of each session and every 30 minutes, blocking data use beyond the current session, banning features judged addictive (usage rewards, push notifications, badges, unprompted messages, human-like typing indicators), limiting ads, and barring the use of these users' data to train AI. The FTC and state attorneys general would enforce it.
What’s at stake
The bill says it does not require age verification or age gating. But to decide who is a minor, services will likely check ages anyway, which is the same privacy and data-security problem in a new place. The EFF also warns that mandating how these tools are designed is a way of regulating speech, which raises First Amendment concerns.
Our take
Another "protect the kids" bill that ends up pressuring platforms to work out everyone's age. To know who is a minor, you screen everyone. The bill says it needs no age verification, but that is the effect, and it adds new limits on what these tools can say to young users.
Timeline
Reported by committeeLatest
Introduced
Referred to committee
Sponsor
Edward Markey (D-MA)
Committee
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
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