California puts AI companions under a safety rule

California signed legislation on September 10 that strengthens safeguards for AI companion chatbots and bars social platforms from offering addictive features to users under 16. The governor’s bill summary for the new child-safety laws names SB 1119 for companion-chatbot safety and AB 1709 for age restrictions, giving youth-facing AI products a concrete state compliance boundary. Builders shipping assistants to minors should treat age assurance and safety controls as launch work, not policy paperwork; Washington’s one-rulebook fight shows why state-by-state scope still matters.