California lawmaker proposes a four-year ban on AI chatbots in kid’s toys

Senator Steve Padilla (D-CA) introduced a bill on Monday that would place a four-year ban on the sale and manufacture of toys with AI chatbot capabilities for kids under 18. The goal is to give safety regulators time to develop regulations to protect children from “dangerous AI interactions.”

“Chatbots and other AI tools may become integral parts of our lives in the future, but the dangers they pose now require us to take bold action to protect our children,” Senator Padilla said in a statement. “Our safety regulations around this kind of technology are in their infancy and will need to grow as exponentially as the capabilities of this technology do. Pausing the sale of these chatbot-integrated toys allows us time to craft the appropriate safety guidelines and framework for these toys to follow.”

The bill, dubbed SB 287, comes in the wake of President Trump’s recent executive order directing federal agencies to challenge state AI laws in court — though the order explicitly carves out exceptions for state laws related to child safety. The legislation also follows several concerning incidents involving AI, chatbots, and children.

In over the past year, lawsuits filed by families whose children died by suicide after engaging in prolonged conversations with chatbots have spurred lawmakers to action. Padilla also co-authored California’s recently passed SB 243, which requires chatbot operators to implement safeguards to protect children and vulnerable users.

While the use of chatbots in toys isn’t as mainstream yet, there have already been reports of troubling interactions. In November 2025, consumer advocacy group PIRG Education Fund warned that toys like Kumma – a cute toy bear with a built-in chatbot – could be prompted easily to talk about matches, knives, and sexual topics. NBC News found that Miiloo, an “AI toy for kids” made by Chinese company Miriat, would at times indicate that it was programmed to reflect Chinese Communist Party values.

OpenAI and Barbie-maker Mattel were slated to release an “AI-powered product” in 2025, but delayed their release. Neither company explained the delay, and it’s not clear if they plan to release a toy in 2026. 

“Our children cannot be used as lab rats for Big Tech to experiment on,” Padilla said.