New York bars risky AI chatbot features for minors and sets baby monitor security rules

New York bars risky AI chatbot features for minors and sets baby monitor security rules

28 October 2026: New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed two bills aimed at technology used by and around children, her office announced on 28 October. The first, S.9051B/A.10379C, restricts what AI chatbots may do with users under 18. The second, S.9508/A.5175A, sets security requirements for internet-connected baby monitors sold in the state. "If you want to do business in our state, you need to put the safety of our kids first," Hochul said.

Not yet independently verified. This rests on the Governor's press release. We have not read the bill texts; the release says the chatbot rules apply "in the coming months" without a date, and does not say whether chatbots offered only to businesses are covered. We will update this when it can be confirmed, and remove this note.

What chatbots may no longer do

Under the chatbot law, sponsored by Senator Kristen Gonzalez and Assemblymember Alex Bores, companies may not offer certain features to users under 18, or to any user not first confirmed as an adult. The banned features are chatbots that:

• pretend to be a real person or to have emotions;
• claim a personal, romantic, professional or authority relationship with the child;
• ask unprompted emotional questions, or use a child's private health or personal data from earlier conversations;
• promote suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, drugs or alcohol;
• encourage secrecy or isolation from family and friends;
• produce sexually explicit content.

Companies must verify age using more than one method, at least one of which does not rely solely on government ID, and must delete age data after use. The rules take effect "in the coming months", according to the release.

Enforcement

The state attorney general may seek civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation, as well as damages, restitution and injunctions. Notably, the attorney general can also seek the destruction of unlawfully collected data and of AI models trained on it. The attorney general's office must run a public website for complaints.

Baby monitors

The second law, sponsored by Senator Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember Michaelle Solages, requires internet-connected baby monitors sold in New York to include security features that stop strangers getting access, and to carry a warning label. It takes effect 90 days after signing. The release cites testing by Rapid7 in which eight of nine monitors received a failing grade.

Who needs to act

The chatbot law matters beyond the companion-app makers it was written for. Any company offering a general-purpose chatbot to the public in New York, including customer service and education bots, has to decide whether it can confirm users as adults or must strip the listed features for everyone it cannot confirm. Vendors of age assurance software gain a market with a requirement for more than one method. The model-destruction remedy is the provision to watch: it puts training data hygiene, not only chatbot behaviour, within reach of a state enforcer. Device makers selling connected cameras or monitors in New York have about three months to meet the security and labelling rules.

Sources

• Office of the Governor of New York: Governor Hochul signs nation-leading legislation to protect kids from AI chatbots and ensure baby monitor security (28 October 2026), 28 October 2026