Minor Protection from AI (Conversational AI Services) Author: Sen. Hamilton · Vote: 43-0 (Senate) · Passed the Senate March 23, 2026; enacted before the 2026 session adjourned sine die

What the law does

SB 1521 regulates operators of conversational AI services that interact with minors. The final law requires two things of those operators: they must provide parental management tools for minor accounts, and they must ensure the AI directs users who express self-harm or suicidal thoughts to appropriate crisis services.

Who it applies to

Operators of conversational AI services, meaning chatbot and conversational-assistant providers, whose products interact with minors. The obligations attach to the operator, not to families or schools.

Effective date

Passed the Senate 43-0 on March 23, 2026, and was enacted before the 2026 session adjourned sine die in mid-May. Operators of covered services are the parties responsible for compliance.

What an operator must do now

  • Provide parental management tools for minor accounts, so a parent can oversee and control a minor’s use of the service.
  • Route crisis situations. When a user expresses self-harm or suicidal thoughts, the AI must direct them to appropriate crisis services. Operators need this behavior built into the product, not left to chance.

Context

SB 1521 settled on a parental-controls-and-crisis-routing approach rather than the age and ID verification the bill’s introduced version had centered on. That shift matters for operators: the compliance burden is about account controls and safety routing, not identity checks. A House companion, HB 3544, covered the same territory but did not need to advance once the Senate vehicle became law.

Questions: david@humanityandai.com