AI Governance / Privacy / Regulation
New York enacts youth chatbot safety law with age assurance and age-data deletion duties
The law bans companion chatbot features in 12 unsafe categories for minors, requires multiple age assurance methods and takes effect on 1 January 2027, leaving providers little time to prepare.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed Senate Bill 9051B/Assembly Bill 10379C on 28 October, according to IAPP. The law bars developers from offering minors chatbots with unsafe features grouped into 12 broad categories, including pretending to be human, encouraging self-harm and engaging in lewd conversations with children.
Providers must verify users through several age assurance methods, at least one of which must not depend on government-issued ID, and must delete all user age data once verification is complete. The attorney general’s office will run a complaints portal. Penalties reach USD 25,000 per violation, plus injunctive relief such as orders to delete unlawfully obtained personal data.
The law applies from 1 January 2027. According to a Future of Privacy Forum analyst quoted by IAPP, its prohibitions are broadly worded and could cause legal uncertainty.
Editor’s note: This article relies solely on secondary news coverage by IAPP; the bill text was not reviewed.
Why it matters
Organisations offering conversational AI to New York residents need an age assurance design that combines more than one method, includes a non-ID route and ends with verified deletion of age data, which should be reflected in retention schedules and data flow records. The categorical bans on chatbot behaviour also need to be translated into testable model policies and evidence of controls. Because the definitions are, according to one analyst, loosely drawn, teams should document how they interpret each category ahead of enforcement.
Status: Adopted. signed 28 October; applies from 1 January 2027
What to check
- Check whether any chatbot or companion feature you offer can be used by minors in New York and is therefore in scope.
- Confirm your age verification flow uses multiple methods, including one that does not rely on government ID, and deletes all age data after verification.
- Map your chatbot safety testing and guardrails against the law's 12 prohibited categories, such as impersonating a human or encouraging self-harm.
Key dates
- New York youth chatbot safety law (S9051B/A10379C) takes effect
Sources
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- New York youth chatbot lawAdopted · 1 story
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- AI governance lead
- DPO
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- Product owners