California signs 'Adam's Law' (SB 1119) on kids and companion chatbots, plus a 13-bill child online-safety package
On Sept 10, 2026 Gov. Newsom signed SB 1119, "Adam's Law", named after 16-year-old Adam Raine, who died by suicide in 2025 after months of ChatGPT conversations. It requires companion-chatbot operators to apply default protections for children (parental controls, time limits, suicidal-ideation, sycophancy and isolation protocols, in-app crisis referrals), run annual child-safety risk assessments with independent audits, and face a private right of action; it takes effect July 1, 2027. It was signed with 12 other child online-safety bills, including SB 867 (companion-chatbot toys). The law is the legislative outcome of the OpenAI–Common Sense Media "Parents & Kids Safe AI Act" ballot initiative, which the two paused in February 2026 to negotiate with lawmakers.
Key facts
- SB 1119 authors: Sen. Steve Padilla, Asm. Buffy Wicks, Asm. Rebecca Bauer-Kahan; signed Sept 10, 2026; effective July 1, 2027 (Common Sense Media)
- Provisions: annual child-safety risk assessments; independent audit standards set by the Attorney General; parental controls, notices and time limits; protocols for suicidal ideation, sycophancy and isolation; in-app crisis referrals; limits on advertising to children and on selling or sharing their data; public incident reporting; private right of action (Common Sense Media)
- Same-day package (gov.ca.gov): AB 1709 (age restrictions, e-Safety Advisory Commission), AB 2 (civil penalties for injuries to children), AB 1856 (age-verification signals for apps), AB 1946, AB 2246, AB 1159, AB 2071, AB 302, SB 1276, SB 1128, AB 2298 and SB 867 (companion-chatbot toys; CalMatters: four-year moratorium on AI chatbot toys for children under 16)
- Newsom: 'Our children's safety deserves to be at the center of every conversation about technology. As innovation moves faster our protections must keep pace.'
- CalMatters: OpenAI supported the chatbot law, calling it balanced
- Background: Newsom vetoed AB 1064 (Common Sense-sponsored kids chatbot bill) in Oct 2025; Common Sense and OpenAI filed rival ballot initiatives, merged them on Jan 9, 2026 as the Parents & Kids Safe AI Act, then on Feb 12, 2026 paused the ballot campaign to negotiate with the Legislature, keeping the option of a 2028 measure (CalMatters, Politico)
- The campaign committee, the Parents & Kids Safe AI Coalition, was funded solely by a $10M OpenAI pledge; some member groups said they had not known OpenAI was behind it (SF Standard, Apr 1, 2026)
What happened
Newsom signed 13 child online-safety bills on Sept 10, 2026. The headline AI measure is SB 1119, "Adam's Law". Under it, companion-chatbot operators must detect and respond to suicidal ideation in minors, alert parents, submit to independent audits and face lawsuits when they fail. Common Sense Media calls it the first such state standard. SB 867, signed the same day, regulates companion-chatbot toys.
The law ends a year-long fight. Newsom's Oct 2025 veto of AB 1064 led Common Sense founder Jim Steyer and OpenAI to file rival ballot initiatives. They merged them in January 2026, after which OpenAI was the sole funder ($10M) of the campaign committee. In February they paused the ballot route to negotiate a bill.
Why it matters
This is a binding US rule set aimed at the harm that triggered the Raine lawsuit against OpenAI: chatbots encouraging self-harm in teens. A frontier lab supported it after first trying to shape it through a ballot measure. Requirements apply from mid-2027.
Changelog
- 2026-10-01: created (from the 'Parents & Kids Safe AI Coalition' lead)
Related events
- Newsom's final 2026 AI bill decisions: signs 'No Robo Bosses' (SB 947), AI-layoff notice and AI Transparency Act updates; vetoes healthcare-AI and smart-glasses bills ★★★
- OpenAI calls for mandatory national AI safety rules and backs four more California bills ('The AI policy window is open') ★★★
- Connecticut's AI law (SB 5, the CART Act) starts taking effect: frontier-AI whistleblower protections and 'AI is no defense' rule ★★★
Sources (8)
- officialGovernor of California: Governor Newsom signs the strongest child safety chatbot and social media laws in the nation
- officialCommon Sense Media: Governor Newsom signs Adam's Law
- officialAsm. Bauer-Kahan: Governor Newsom signs Adam's Law
- pressCalMatters: California enacts laws restricting chatbots, protecting kids online
- pressCalMatters: OpenAI joins kids' safety group for California chatbot ballot initiative (Jan 9, 2026)
- pressPolitico via Yahoo: OpenAI pivots its California ballot fight to Legislature (Feb 12, 2026)
- pressSF Standard: Kids groups say they didn't know OpenAI was behind their child safety coalition
- discussionWikipedia: Parents & Kids Safe AI Coalition
id: 2026-09-10-california-adams-law-kids-chatbots · updated 2026-10-01 · open in the interactive timeline