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AI companion apps would need ID-grade age checks for every user

Placed on the calendarS. 3062Latest action

Sponsor: Josh Hawley · Senator · MO

AIDecoded by AI · checked against the record
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Official title: GUARD Act

119th Congress

Topics: Crime & justice

Introduced:

Read the official bill on Congress.gov

In plain words

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AI companion chatbots would have to verify that users are adults, and all public chatbots would have to disclose they are AI at the start of each conversation.

70-second read · 5 questions answered below

What does this do?

Companies offering AI companions would have to require accounts and verify that each user is 18 or older, using methods more reliable than typing in a birth date. All public AI chatbots would have to say they are AI, could not claim to be human or a licensed professional, and would have to say they do not provide medical, legal, financial, or psychological services. The bill also creates federal crimes for making available a chatbot that engages minors in sexually explicit conversations or pushes them toward suicide, self-harm, or violence.

Who does it affect?

Companies that run chatbots and companion apps would need to build age checks and disclosures. Adults who use companion chatbots would have to prove their age, and minors would lose access to those companions.

Why does it matter?

Existing companion accounts would be frozen until users verify their age, and companies would have to re-check ages from time to time. Companies that collect age data would face limits on what they gather, how they store it, and whether they can share or sell it.

What does it cost, and who pays?

Criminal fines could reach $250,000 per offense. The U.S. Attorney General could seek civil penalties of up to $250,000 per violation for breaking the account, verification, or disclosure rules, and state attorneys general could also sue to stop violations affecting their residents.

AI-drafted summary. Check it against the official text before you act on it.

Based on the “Reported to Senate” text of May 11, 2026.

Read the official bill on Congress.gov

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Where does it stand?

  1. IntroducedOct 28, 2025
  2. Senate committee
  3. Senate voteYou are here · May 11, 2026
  4. House
  5. The president's desk

Right now: it was placed on the , and the official record shows no floor action on it since. If the House changes it, it goes back to the Senate before reaching the president.

Latest action: — Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 406.

Data as of October 9, 2026
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