Companion Chatbots (SB 243)

Record US-CA-06 · Chapter 677, Statutes of 2025 (Senate Bill 243); amended by Chapter 189 (Senate Bill 867) and Chapter 190 (Senate Bill 1119), Statutes of 2026

Issued by: California State Legislature; signed by Governor Gavin Newsom
Jurisdiction: California (US)
Level · region: Sub-national · North America
Country: United States
Published / adopted: 2025-10-13
In force: 2026-01-01
Last updated: 2026-09-10
Language: English
Official identifier: Chapter 677, Statutes of 2025 (Senate Bill 243); amended by Chapter 189 (Senate Bill 867) and Chapter 190 (Senate Bill 1119), Statutes of 2026

Summary

Requires operators of companion chatbot platforms to disclose that interactions are artificially generated and to keep protocols for detecting and responding to suicidal ideation and self-harm, including crisis referrals. For minors it requires break reminders and blocks sexually explicit images. Operators must report self-harm protocols and crisis-referral statistics to public health authorities, and families have a private right of action against noncompliant and negligent developers.

Safety topics

child safetytransparency & labellingaccountability & liability

Status notes

Passed the Assembly 59-1 on 10 Sep 2025 and the Senate 33-3 on 11 Sep 2025; signed on 13 Oct 2025 as Chapter 677, Statutes of 2025, in a package on children's online safety that also included AB 1043 (age verification signals), AB 316 (artificial intelligence: defenses), AB 621 (deepfake pornography) and AB 853 (California AI Transparency Act amendments). It adds Chapter 22.6 (commencing with Section 22601) to Division 8 of the Business and Professions Code. Effective 1 Jan 2026. On 10 Sep 2026 the Governor approved SB 867 ('Toys: companion chatbots', Chapter 189, Statutes of 2026), which amends Section 22601 and adds and repeals Section 22604.5, and SB 1119 ('Companion chatbots: children's safety', Chapter 190, Statutes of 2026), which amends Section 22602 and adds Chapter 11.6 (commencing with Section 21810) to Division 8 of that Code.

Sources

Open the official source https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/10/13/governor-newsom-signs-bills-to-further-strengthen-californias-leadership-in-protecting-children-online/

Secondary source: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB243

Local copy

Archived. The secondary source could not be downloaded (HTTP 403 Forbidden). Last attempt 2026-10-18 07:40:37 UTC

Official source (third-party copy, not published) archive/US-CA-06/2026-10-17/official.html

Retrieved 2026-10-17 22:15:55 UTC

SHA-256 8bb9aa463756101303435721b1bade46b0b3802acae7d6b8a3a758d548eea045

Verification

The instrument's own official text, or an official register, was stored and confirms the title, date and status. checked 2026-10-18 · official-url-fetched

Refresh of 18 Oct 2026 under the rule that level A needs the instrument's own text or an official register. Stored in this run: the Senate Weekly History No. 41 of 5 Feb 2026, the last complete history of the 2025 bills, and No. 67 of 1 Oct 2026 (senate.ca.gov, compiled under the Secretary of the Senate). They are the legislature's record of SB 243: its subject title 'Companion chatbots', the chapter of the Business and Professions Code it adds, the floor votes and its approval and chaptering on 13 Oct 2025 as Chapter 677, Statutes of 2025. The history of 1 Oct 2026 also records SB 867 (Chapter 189) and SB 1119 (Chapter 190), both approved on 10 Sep 2026, which amend Sections 22601 and 22602 of that chapter; date_last_updated and official_identifier follow it. Stored again: Senator Padilla's release of 13 Oct 2025 (sd18.senate.ca.gov), which gives the start date of 1 Jan 2026 and the private right of action, and the Assembly Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee's 2025 bill summary, which also gives Chapter 677. Re-read: the Governor's release of 13 Oct 2025 (gov.ca.gov, copy of 17 Oct 2026). The bill's page on leginfo.legislature.ca.gov still refuses automated downloads (HTTP 403), so official_url stays the Governor's release. The texts of SB 867 and SB 1119 as enacted, and when their amendments take effect, are not in a stored file. Version 1's reporting start of 1 Jul 2027 rests on no source and stays out of the notes.

Second check: Independent check by Claude Code (claude-sonnet-5-5), 2026-10-18: 8 field(s) supported.

History

2026-10-18related: [{"slug": "ca-sb-1119", "id": "US-CA-08"}, {"slug": "ca-sb-53", "id": "US-CA-05" → [{"slug": "ca-sb-1119", "id": "US-CA-08"}, {"slug": "ca-sb-53", "id": "US-CA-05" — two-way link added: US-CT-01, US-FL-01, US-GA-01, US-HI-01, US-IA-01, US-ID-01, US-IL-02, US-RI-01 link(s) to US-CA-062026-10-18-fix-related-links · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)
2026-10-18notes: Passed the Assembly 59-1 on 10 Sep 2025 and the Senate 33-3 on 11 Sep 2025; sign → Passed the Assembly 59-1 on 10 Sep 2025 and the Senate 33-3 on 11 Sep 2025; sign — adds the Code chapter SB 243 adds and replaces the last sentence (based on a release no longer among the stored sources) with the two amending acts from the Senate's record2026-10-18-refresh-level-rule-2 · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)
2026-10-18official_identifier: Chapter 677, Statutes of 2025 (Senate Bill 243) → Chapter 677, Statutes of 2025 (Senate Bill 243); amended by Chapter 189 (Senate — adds the two amending chapters of 2026 (SB 867, SB 1119)2026-10-18-refresh-level-rule-2 · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)
2026-10-18date_last_updated: – → 2026-09-10 — null -> 2026-09-10: the Senate's record shows that SB 867 (Chapter 189) amends Section 22601 and SB 1119 (Chapter 190) amends Section 22602 of the Business and Professions Code, both approved on 10 Sep 2026, and that SB 243 added Chapter 22.6 commencing with Section 22601; the earlier recheck had no stored file showing which sections SB 1119 amends2026-10-18-refresh-level-rule-2 · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)
2026-10-18notes: Signed 13 Oct 2025 in a package that also included AB 1043 (age-verification sig → Passed the Assembly 59-1 on 10 Sep 2025 and the Senate 33-3 on 11 Sep 2025; sign — floor votes and chapter added; effective date now rests on Senator Padilla's release; the SB 1119 and SB 867 sentence rewritten from the Governor's release of 10 Sep 2026 (SB 867 is listed there, not described as building on SB 243); 'with annual reporting from 1 Jul 2027' removed (no source gives the date)2026-10-18-recheck-north-america-2 · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)
2026-10-18summary: Requires operators of companion chatbot platforms to disclose that interactions → Requires operators of companion chatbot platforms to disclose that interactions — private right of action added from Senator Padilla's release2026-10-18-recheck-north-america-2 · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)
2026-10-18official_identifier: California Senate Bill 243 (2025-2026 Regular Session) → Chapter 677, Statutes of 2025 (Senate Bill 243) — chapter from the committee's 2025 bill summary ('Status: Chapter 677, Statutes of 2025'); version 1's session label is not in any stored file2026-10-18-recheck-north-america-2 · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)
2026-10-18date_last_updated: 2026-09-10 → – — removed: version 1 took the signing of SB 1119 (10 Sep 2026) as an amendment of SB 243, but the stored releases say only that SB 1119 strengthens or builds on the 2025 law; no stored file shows it amends SB 243's sections2026-10-18-recheck-north-america-2 · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)
2026-10-14related: [{"slug": "ca-sb-1119", "id": "US-CA-08"}, {"slug": "ca-sb-53", "id": "US-CA-05" → [{"slug": "ca-sb-1119", "id": "US-CA-08"}, {"slug": "ca-sb-53", "id": "US-CA-05" — two-way link to US-CA-12, US-CA-14 added in run 2026-10-14-discover-leads-2026-10-142026-10-14-discover-leads-2026-10-14 · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)

Related records

California SB 1119 (children's chatbot safety) California (US) · Adopted, not yet in force

California SB 53 (TFAIA) California (US) · In force

Washington AI companion chatbot law (HB 2225) Washington (US) · Adopted, not yet in force

Oregon AI chatbot safety law (SB 1546) Oregon (US) · Adopted, not yet in force

Nebraska Conversational AI Safety Act (LB 525) Nebraska (US) · Adopted, not yet in force

Maine AI chatbot disclosure law (LD 1727) Maine (US) · In force

California SB 867 (AI chatbot toy moratorium) California (US) · Adopted, not yet in force

California AB 1064 (LEAD for Kids Act, vetoed) California (US) · Lapsed

Connecticut Public Act 26-15 (SB 5, AI and online safety) Connecticut (US) · Partially in force

Florida AI Bill of Rights (SB 482, 2026) Florida (US) · Lapsed

Georgia AI companion chatbot law (SB 540) Georgia (US) · Adopted, not yet in force

Hawaii AI companion law (SB 3001, Act 248) Hawaii (US) · In force

Iowa conversational AI services law (SF 2417) Iowa (US) · Adopted, not yet in force

Idaho Conversational AI Safety Act (SB 1297) Idaho (US) · Adopted, not yet in force

Illinois AI therapy ban (HB 1806) Illinois (US) · In force

Rhode Island AI Companion Models Act (S 2195) Rhode Island (US) · Adopted, not yet in force

Citation

California State Legislature; signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. Companion Chatbots (SB 243) [Chapter 677, Statutes of 2025 (Senate Bill 243); amended by Chapter 189 (Senate Bill 867) and Chapter 190 (Senate Bill 1119), Statutes of 2026]. 2025-10-13. https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/10/13/governor-newsom-signs-bills-to-further-strengthen-californias-leadership-in-protecting-children-online/. Status: In force; verified 2026-10-18 (level A). Local copy archive/US-CA-06/2026-10-17/official.html retrieved 2026-10-17 22:15:55 UTC, SHA-256 8bb9aa463756101303435721b1bade46b0b3802acae7d6b8a3a758d548eea045. Every AI Policy Ever, version 1.18 (snapshot 2026-10-18), record US-CA-06.

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