{"slug": "sam-altman-contacts-gavin-newsom-over-kids-chatbot-safety-bill", "title": "Sam Altman contacts Gavin Newsom over kids’ chatbot safety bill", "summary": "OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has urged California Governor Gavin Newsom to sign Senate Bill 1119, known as Adam's Law, which would require age verification, risk assessments, and parental controls for companion chatbots used by minors. OpenAI publicly endorsed the bill on August 31, 2026, citing that nearly 90% of teens use ChatGPT weekly for learning. If signed, the requirements would take effect on July 1, 2027.", "body_md": "Photo: Merlin Lightpainting / Pexels\n\n# Sam Altman contacts Gavin Newsom over kids’ chatbot safety bill\n\nOpenAI is backing California's SB 1119, urging the governor to sign legislation that would require age verification, risk assessments, and parental controls for companion chatbots used by minors.\n\nOpenAI’s CEO reached out to California Governor Gavin Newsom with a message that might surprise people who’ve watched the AI industry fight regulation tooth and nail: please sign this bill.\n\nThe company publicly endorsed Senate Bill 1119, known as Adam’s Law, on August 31, 2026, calling on Newsom to make it law. The legislation would establish safety protocols for companion chatbots, requiring age verification, independent audits, and content safeguards specifically designed to protect minors.\n\n## What SB 1119 actually requires\n\nThe bill, introduced on February 17, 2026, and last amended on August 28, 2026, targets the growing ecosystem of AI chatbots that young people interact with daily.\n\nPlatforms would need to implement age verification systems and conduct risk assessments before allowing minors to use companion chatbot features. For users aged 13 to 17, the bill mandates parental control tools and places hard limits on targeted advertising and the collection of personal data.\n\nThere’s also a crisis intervention component. Chatbot platforms would be required to build mechanisms that connect users with crisis resources, a provision that carries extra weight given prior incidents where AI interactions with minors led to documented harm.\n\nIf signed, the requirements would take effect on July 1, 2027.\n\n## Why OpenAI is playing ball\n\nOpenAI framed its support around a striking data point: nearly 90% of teens using ChatGPT do so weekly for learning and productivity purposes. The company’s argument is essentially that regulation done right protects kids without cutting off access to tools that are genuinely helping them learn.\n\nSam Altman has previously articulated a philosophy around fostering safe AI use among teenagers rather than simply blocking them from the technology entirely. SB 1119 appears to thread that needle, establishing guardrails while preserving access to educational AI resources.\n\n## California’s expanding AI regulatory framework\n\nSB 1119 doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Governor Newsom signed SB 243 in October 2025, which introduced initial regulations on how AI chatbots interact with minors. That earlier bill focused on age-appropriate notifications and protocols for handling self-harm scenarios, essentially laying the regulatory foundation that Adam’s Law now builds upon.\n\n## What this means for the AI industry\n\nThe immediate impact is straightforward: companies operating companion chatbots in California will need to invest in age verification infrastructure, build parental control systems, hire or contract independent auditors, and redesign their advertising and data collection practices for minor users.\n\nCompanies that have built their AI products specifically around companion or emotional support use cases for younger demographics face the most direct pressure. The requirement for crisis resource integration and risk assessments could fundamentally reshape how those products function.\n\n**Disclosure:** This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our\n\n[Editorial Policy](https://cryptobriefing.com/editorial-policy/).", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/sam-altman-contacts-gavin-newsom-over-kids-chatbot-safety-bill", "canonical_source": "https://cryptobriefing.com/openai-backs-california-kids-chatbot-safety-bill/", "published_at": "2026-09-01 13:36:48+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-01 13:55:22.141024+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy", "ai-safety", "ai-products"], "entities": ["OpenAI", "Sam Altman", "Gavin Newsom", "California Senate Bill 1119", "Adam's Law", "SB 243"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/sam-altman-contacts-gavin-newsom-over-kids-chatbot-safety-bill", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/sam-altman-contacts-gavin-newsom-over-kids-chatbot-safety-bill.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/sam-altman-contacts-gavin-newsom-over-kids-chatbot-safety-bill.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/sam-altman-contacts-gavin-newsom-over-kids-chatbot-safety-bill.jsonld"}}