S-3062 — GUARD Act | YourVoice.Now

YourVoice.Now Summary

Civil LibertiesTransparency & Accountability

AI companion apps would need an ID-based age check and would be off-limits to anyone under 18.

Civil Liberties

Privacy of age-check data — no selling or sharing allowed

Companies and their age-check vendors could collect only the data needed to confirm age. They would have to encrypt it, delete it when no longer needed, and never sell or share it.

Adults' anonymous AI companion use — ID-based age check required

You would need an account to use any AI companion. Old accounts would be locked until you pass an ID-based age check, and firms would recheck ages over time.

Teens' use of AI companion apps — banned under age 18

Anyone the age check finds is under 18 could not use any AI companion. An AI companion is a chatbot that acts like a friend or character, or invites emotional sharing.

Transparency & Accountability

Chatbots telling you they're AI — required at every chat start

Any chatbot open to the public would have to say it is an AI, not a person, when each chat begins. It could not claim to be human if you ask.

Chatbots' 'not a doctor' warnings — repeated during every chat

A chatbot could not claim to be a licensed doctor, therapist, lawyer or money adviser. At the start of a chat, and now and then after, it must say it gives no such help and that you should see a real one.

More about this bill

If you use an AI companion app, you would have to prove you are an adult to keep using it. These are chatbots that act like a friend, partner or character, or that invite you to share your feelings. Kids and teens under 18 would be blocked from them. The rules would start 180 days after the bill becomes law. On that day, current AI companion accounts would be frozen. To unlock yours, you would pass an age check tied to a real ID. That could be a government ID, a credit card account, or a phone or app store account checked against an ID. Typing in a birth date would not be enough. Companies would have to check ages again from time to time. They could not use age-check firms tied to China, Russia, North Korea or Iran. They would have to keep only the data they need, encrypt it, and never sell or share it. Every public chatbot, not just companions, would have to tell you it is an AI at the start of each chat. It could not claim to be human or a licensed doctor, therapist, lawyer or money adviser. It would also have to remind you to see a real professional for that kind of advice. Making a chatbot public while knowing or recklessly ignoring that it engages kids in sexual content would become a federal crime. The same goes for a chatbot that pushes kids toward suicide, self-harm or violence. Each offense could bring a fine of up to $250,000. The U.S. Attorney General could sue companies that break the account and age rules, with fines up to $250,000 per violation. State attorneys general could sue to stop violations. State laws that protect users at least as much would stay in force.

Congressional Summary

Guidelines for User Age-verification and Responsible Dialogue Act of 2026 or the GUARD Act This bill establishes requirements for and limitations on entities that provide publicly available artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, including AI companions. Under the bill, an AI chatbot is an application or program that simulates human conversation by generating responses to user prompts. An AI companion is a type of AI chatbot that simulates a sustained interpersonal relationship or emotional interaction with the user. The bill makes it a federal crime to provide an AI chatbot that exposes minors to sexual content or encourages minors to commit suicide or carry out nonsuicidal self-injury, unlawful physical or sexual violence, or homicide. A violation is subject to a criminal fine of up to $250,000 per offense. Additionally, the bill prohibits minors from accessing AI companions. Under the bill, an entity that provides an AI chatbot must require each individual who accesses an AI companion to set up a user account and must also verify that the user is an adult. A violation is subject to a civil penalty of up to $250,000 per violation. Finally, the bill requires an AI chatbot that is publicly available to disclose that the AI chatbot is not a human and is not a licensed professional (e.g. doctor, lawyer, or therapist). A violation is subject to a civil penalty of up to $250,000 per violation.

Legislative Subjects

Administrative law and regulatory proceduresAdvanced technology and technological innovationsChild safety and welfareCivil actions and liabilityComputers and information technologyCriminal procedure and sentencingData collection, sharing, protectionDepartment of JusticeInternet, web applications, social mediaPornographySex offensesState and local government operations

Details

Congress: 119th
Chamber: Senate
Status: summarized
Action: Reported to Senate
Action Date: 2026-05-11
Date Added: 2026-10-06
Source: Congress.gov →

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