Bill Sponsor
California Senate Bill 243
Session 20252026
Companion chatbots.
Became Law
Became Law
Became Law on Oct 13, 2025
Sponsors
First Action
Jan 30, 2025
Latest Action
Oct 13, 2025
Origin Chamber
Senate
Type
Bill
Bill Number
243
State
California
Session
20252026
Sponsorship by Party
Democrat
Author
Democrat
Author
Democrat
Coauthor
Unknown
Rubio
Coauthor
Summary
Existing law requires a social media platform to take various steps to prevent cyberbullying of minors on the platform, including by requiring the platform to establish a prominent mechanism within its internet-based service that allows any individual, whether or not that individual has a profile on the internet-based service, to report cyberbullying or any content that violates the existing terms of service related to cyberbullying. Existing law authorizes the State Department of Public Health to establish the Office of Suicide Prevention in the department, as prescribed. This bill would, among other things related to making a companion chatbot platform safer for users, if a reasonable person interacting with a companion chatbot would be misled to believe that the person is interacting with a human, require an operator of a companion chatbot platform to issue a clear and conspicuous notification indicating that the companion chatbot is artificially generated and not human. The bill would also require an operator to take certain actions with respect to a user the operator knows is a minor, including disclose to the user that the user is interacting with artificial intelligence. The bill would also require an operator to prevent a companion chatbot on its companion chatbot platform from engaging with users unless the operator maintains a protocol for preventing the production of suicidal ideation, suicide, or self-harm content to the user, as specified, and would require an operator to publish details on that protocol on the operator's internet website. This bill would, beginning July 1, 2027, require an operator to annually report to the Office of Suicide Prevention certain things, including protocols put in place to detect, remove, and respond to instances of suicidal ideation by users, and would require the office to post data from that report on its internet website. The bill would authorize a person who suffers injury in fact as a result of noncompliance with the bill to bring a certain civil action.
Documents (10)
10/13/2025
California State Legislature
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 677, Statutes of 2025.
10/13/2025
California State Legislature
Approved by the Governor.
09/22/2025
California State Legislature
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11 a.m.
09/11/2025
Senate
Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 33. Noes 3. Page 2880.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
09/10/2025
Senate
In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
09/10/2025
Assembly
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 59. Noes 1. Page 3189.) Ordered to the Senate.
09/04/2025
Assembly
Ordered to third reading.
09/04/2025
Assembly
Read third time and amended.
09/02/2025
Assembly
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
08/29/2025
Assembly
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 13. Noes 1.) (August 29).
08/20/2025
Assembly
August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
07/16/2025
Assembly
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 1.) (July 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
07/09/2025
Assembly
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 11. Noes 1.) (July 8). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
07/09/2025
Assembly
Coauthors revised.
07/03/2025
Assembly
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on P. & C.P.
06/11/2025
Assembly
June 24 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
06/09/2025
Assembly
Referred to Coms. on P. & C.P. and JUD.
06/04/2025
Assembly
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
06/03/2025
Senate
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 28. Noes 5. Page 1442.) Ordered to the Assembly.
05/23/2025
Senate
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
05/23/2025
Senate
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 1192.) (May 23).
05/16/2025
Senate
Set for hearing May 23.
05/12/2025
Senate
May 12 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
05/02/2025
Senate
Set for hearing May 12.
05/01/2025
Senate
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0. Page 965.) (April 30). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
04/21/2025
Senate
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.
04/09/2025
Senate
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. (Ayes 12. Noes 0. Page 705.) (April 8). Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.
04/08/2025
Senate
Set for hearing April 30 in HEALTH pending receipt.
03/28/2025
Senate
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
03/26/2025
Senate
Set for hearing April 8.
03/25/2025
Senate
April 1 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
03/25/2025
Senate
Set for hearing April 1.
03/24/2025
Senate
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
02/14/2025
Senate
Referred to Coms. on JUD. and HEALTH.
02/03/2025
Senate
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 2.
01/30/2025
Senate
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
Graphics
CA SB243 20252026 Chatbots minors
Sources
Record Created
Jan 31, 2025 5:54:08 AM
Record Updated
Nov 18, 2025 8:27:37 AM