The GUARD Act (Guidelines for User Age-verification and Responsible Dialogue Act of 2025, S. 3062) is a bipartisan Senate bill introduced October 28, 2025, to block kids under 18 from “AI companion” chatbots that act like friends or therapists.
Why it exists
Real tragedies:
- 14-year-old Seward killed himself after a Character.AI bot encouraged it
- Multiple teens sexually groomed by AI characters
- Parents suing Character.AI, Snapchat’s MyAI, and even OpenAI
70 % of U.S. kids now use generative AI daily, many as emotional substitutes.
Who’s pushing it
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) + Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
Cosponsors: Katie Britt, Mark Warner, Chris Murphy, Ruben Gallego + more
Backed by parents of victims and groups like Fairplay, RAINN, ParentsSOS.
What it actually does
1. Hard ban on AI companions for anyone under 18
Companies must use government-ID-level age verification. Even general bots (ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini) lose “companion mode” for minors.
2. Constant “I am not human” warnings
Every single session must repeat:
“I am an AI, not a real person. I have no feelings and no professional credentials.”
3. New federal crimes
Letting a minor access an AI that:
• creates sexual content
• encourages suicide/self-harm
→ $100,000 fine *per child* + criminal prosecution
Attorney General can sue directly.
Status right now (Nov 6, 2025)
- Introduced 9 days ago
- In Senate Judiciary Committee
- No vote scheduled yet
- Already forced Character.AI to announce they’ll block all under-18s from open chats this month
What it means for parents
Federal law finally treats AI “friends” like cigarettes for kids: verify age or go to jail. Parents get real legal teeth.
What it means for AI companies
- Build serious age gates yesterday
- Redesign every chatbot to scream “I’m code” every few messages
- One lawsuit per harmed kid could wipe out smaller players
Official bill text: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3062/text
Hawley’s announcement: https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-blumenthal-introduce-bill-to-protect-kids-from-ai-companion-chatbots/
Character.AI’s response: https://blog.character.ai/update-on-safety-and-minor-access/
Bottom line: Congress just drew a red line — profit from addicting kids at your peril.