Bill · H.R. 7218· House(119-HR-7218)
CHAT Act
- Introduced
- 1/22/2026
- Last activity
- 1/22/2026 — Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Sponsored by
- Michael Lawler
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "Children Harmed by AI Technology Act" requires entities providing companion AI chatbots to implement age verification processes. These chatbots are defined as software designed to simulate emotional interaction or friendship. The bill mandates that users create accounts and undergo age verification to be classified as a minor or an adult. For minors, the law requires parental account affiliation, parental consent, and blocks access to sexually explicit communication. Additionally, entities must monitor for suicidal ideation and provide resources like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The Act also requires a popup notification to inform users they are not talking to a human.
Yes· 3 of 5
Would children be better off under this?+7
The bill provides protections against sexually explicit content and monitoring for self-harm ideation.
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?+5
The bill mandates age verification and transparency notifications to protect users from deceptive AI interactions.
Does this protect people from being watched or searched?+3
The bill mandates that entities limit the collection and use of age verification data to what is strictly necessary.
The opposite
Would people over 65 be better off under this?-1
The bill imposes new account creation and age verification burdens on all users.
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?-1
The bill adds new administrative burdens and account requirements for all users.
Does this make child care cost less?-1
The bill increases parental responsibilities and oversight requirements for digital interactions.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Protection for Minors: The bill requires covered entities to block a minor's access to any companion AI chatbot that engages in sexually explicit communication (Section 3(c)(3)).
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Safety Monitoring: Entities must monitor interactions for suicidal ideation and, if found, must provide the user and their parent with contact information for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Section 3(e)).
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Parental Oversight: If a user is determined to be a minor, the law requires their account to be affiliated with a parental account and requires verifiable parental consent before use (Section 3(c)(1) and (2)).
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Transparency: The bill requires a popup to be displayed at the start of an interaction and at least every 60 minutes thereafter to notify the user they are not interacting with a human (Section 3(f)).
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Data Privacy: Covered entities are required to protect the confidentiality of age verification data by limiting its collection and use to what is strictly necessary (Section 3(d)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Account Restrictions: Existing accounts for companion AI chatbots will be frozen on a specific date, requiring users to provide verifiable age information to restore functionality (Section 3(b)(1)).
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Increased User Requirements: All individuals accessing a companion AI chatbot will be required to create a user account to interact with the system (Section 3(a)).
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Mandatory Age Verification: Users must undergo an age verification process using a commercially available method or process designed to ensure accuracy (Section 3(b)(2)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Children+7Good For Low Income Households-1Good For Seniors-1
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Consumer Protection+5
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Privacy Rights+3Improves Government Transparency+2
- Healthcare
- Improves Mental Health Access+3
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Childcare Affordability-1
- 10/5/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 1/22/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Tom BarrettRepublican · Michigan