Sen. Steve Padilla (D-Calif.) introduced a bill Monday that would ban the sale and manufacture of toys with AI chatbot functionality for children under 18 for four years. The aim is to give safety regulators time to develop regulations to protect children from “dangerous interactions with AI.”
“Chatbots and other AI tools may become an essential part of our lives in the future, but given the risks they pose, we need to take bold action to protect our children,” Sen. Padilla said in a statement. “Our safety regulations for this type of technology are still in their infancy and need to grow as exponentially as the capabilities of this technology. Pausing the sale of these chatbot-integrated toys will give us time to create appropriate safety guidelines and frameworks for these toys to follow.”
The bill, known as SB 287, follows President Trump’s recent executive order directing federal agencies to challenge state AI laws in court, which clearly establishes exceptions to state laws related to child safety. The bill also builds on several cases related to AI, chatbots, and children.
Lawsuits filed over the past year by families who lost children to suicide after having lengthy conversations with chatbots are prompting lawmakers to act. Padilla is also a co-author of California’s recently passed SB 243, which requires chatbot operators to implement safeguards to protect children and vulnerable users.
Although the use of chatbots in toys is not yet mainstream, there have already been reports of problematic interactions. In November 2025, consumer advocacy group PIRG Education Fund warned that toys like Kunma, a cuddly toy bear with built-in chatbots, could easily prompt people to talk about matches, knives, and sexual topics. NBC News has discovered that Miiloo, an “AI toy for children” made by the Chinese company Miliat, can sometimes show that it has been programmed to reflect the values of the Chinese Communist Party.
OpenAI and Barbie maker Mattel were scheduled to release an “AI-powered product” in 2025, but have postponed the release. Neither company has explained the delay, and it’s unclear whether they plan to release the toy in 2026.
“Our children cannot be used as lab rats for Big Tech’s experiments,” Padilla said.
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