AI Companion Chatbot Proposal in NY, Under-16 Social Media Ban in IN & More

NY to Weigh AI Companion Chatbot Liability

New York Assemblyman Clyde Vanel (D) is drafting a bill that would make developers of AI companion chatbots liable for harm those chatbots cause to minors. The first-in-the-nation proposal comes after a 14-year-old chatbot user took his own life. Similar legislation could also come this year in California. (PLURIBUS NEWS, ASSOCIATED PRESS)

IN Senate Panel Advances Under-16 Social Media Ban

Indiana’s Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a bill (SB 11) that would prohibit social media companies from allowing those under the age of 16 from accessing their platforms without parental consent. Before approving the measure, the committee removed a provision that would have allowed parents or guardians to sue for violations. The approved version would still permit the state’s AG to sue after giving social media operators 90 days to correct violations. (INDIANA CAPITAL CHRONICLE)

NJ Targeting Social Media Promotion of Eating Disorders

The New Jersey Assembly passed a bill (AB 4664) in December that would prohibit social media platforms from using “a design, algorithm, practice, affordance, or feature” that they know or “by the exercise of reasonable care should have known, could cause child users to develop an eating disorder, including, but not limited to, promoting diet products.” Platforms that violate the measure’s provisions would be subject to fines of up to $250,000 per violation. The measure has been referred to the state’s Senate Commerce Committee. (PLURIBUS NEWS, LEXISNEXIS STATE NET)

—Compiled by SNCJ Managing Editor KOREY CLARK

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