# New York bars AI chatbots posing as partners to minors from 2027

> By Hayley Birkin | Edited by Bill Alena | Published: 2026-11-02T05:12:16.791538+00:00 | Section: Regulation | Source: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/new-york-bars-ai-chatbots-posing-as-partners-to-minors | Publisher: Dating Industry Insights (High Intent Media Inc)

Gov. Hochul signed S.9051B on 28 October, barring AI companion features for minors and requiring age assurance, with civil penalties of up to $25,000 per viola…

## Key points

- New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed S.9051B/A.10379C on 28 October 2026, barring AI chatbots from unsafe companion features for under-18s and unconfirmed users.
- The enacted text says the law takes effect on 1 January 2027 and requires operators to use age-assurance methods, offering more than one.
- New York's attorney general can seek civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation; the final bill dropped earlier drafts' private right of action.
- The New York Senate passed S9051B 60-0 on 4 June 2026 and the Assembly passed it on 5 June 2026.

## Article

- Gov. Kathy Hochul signed S.9051B/A.10379C on 28 October 2026; the enacted text says it takes effect 1 January 2027.
- Operators may not offer "unsafe" companion features to under-18s or to users they have not confirmed are adults.
- The attorney general can seek civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation.
- The Senate passed the bill 60-0 on 4 June 2026; the Assembly followed on 5 June.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed S.9051B/A.10379C on 28 October, barring AI chatbots from offering "unsafe" companion features to under-18s, or to any user the operator has not confirmed is not a minor. The governor's office says the banned features include claiming a romantic relationship with a child. The law requires age assurance and, according to the enacted text on the Senate website, takes effect on 1 January 2027.

The dating angle is indirect: the law does not name dating apps, and DII has not seen a reaction from any dating company. But any operator running an AI companion, wingman or flirtatious conversational feature for New York members now has a compliance clock.

### The DII Take

The romance ban is the headline, but age assurance is the cost. Because features are barred unless the operator has determined a user is not a minor, the practical default is an age gate. The question for dating operators is whether their AI features can show a state attorney general that this determination has been made.

### What the law requires

The governor's office says companies must offer more than one way to verify age, including at least one option that does not rely solely on government ID, and must delete age information after use. The bill text says that until attorney general rules take effect, self-declaration can be relied on only if the user declares they are a minor.

Enforcement is by the attorney general, who can seek civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation. Damages, restitution, injunctions and destruction of unlawfully collected data or AI models trained on it are also available, according to the governor's office. Earlier drafts allowed private lawsuits; the final version does not.

> Enforcement is by the attorney general, who can seek civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation.

### Who it reaches, and what to watch

The bill defines a covered AI companion as a generative AI system with a natural-language interface giving ongoing, adaptive responses. Tech Times reported that this could reach general-purpose assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, and that the Business Council of New York State opposed the bill as overbroad. That is Tech Times' reading, not the governor's. Exemptions cover customer-service and internal tools, but only if the bot cannot respond outside its stated purpose.

New York joins California, where SB 243 took effect on 1 January 2026, according to Troutman Privacy. Fenwick says SB 1119 adds age assurance there from 1 January 2027. DII has separately reported on [Character.AI](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/character-ai)'s [Chapter 11 filing](https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/character-ai-files-chapter-11-disney-bids-20m). Watch for attorney general rulemaking on age-assurance methods.

- New York's law makes age assurance the gate for AI companion features, so operators with conversational AI need a verification method that does not depend solely on government ID.
- Whether the definition reaches general-purpose assistants is contested commentary, so dating operators should test their own AI features against the bill's "covered AI companion" wording.
- New York and California both have 1 January 2027 age-assurance dates, according to the enacted text and Fenwick respectively.

**Sources:** [Governor Hochul Signs Nation-Leading Legislation to Protect Kids From AI Chatbots and to Ensure Baby Monitor Safety (Office of the Governor of New York)](https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-signs-nation-leading-legislation-protect-kids-ai-chatbots-and-ensure-baby); [NY State Senate Bill 2025-S9051B (New York State Senate)](https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S9051); [Hochul Signs Chatbot Safety Law That Reaches ChatGPT and Claude, Not Just Companion Apps (Tech Times)](https://www.techtimes.com/articles/329665/20261029/hochul-signs-chatbot-safety-law-that-reaches-chatgpt-claude-not-just-companion-apps.htm); [Analyzing the New AI Companion Chatbot Laws (Troutman Privacy)](https://www.troutmanprivacy.com/2026/01/analyzing-the-new-ai-companion-chatbot-laws/); [The Chatbot Compliance Wave (Fenwick)](https://www.fenwick.com/insights/publications/chatbot-compliance-wave-californias-new-law-not-only-one-watch)

## Key takeaways

- New York's law makes age assurance the practical gate for AI companion features, so operators with conversational AI need a verification route that does not rely solely on government ID.
- Tech Times reads the 'covered AI companion' definition as reaching general-purpose assistants, a view the governor's office has not stated, so dating operators should test their own AI features against the wording.
- New York and California's SB 1119, per Fenwick, both carry 1 January 2027 dates, giving operators with AI features in both states one compliance deadline to plan around.

## FAQ

### When does New York's AI chatbot law for minors take effect?

The enacted text of S9051B says the act takes effect on 1 January 2027. Governor Hochul's office said only that restrictions apply 'in the coming months'.

### What can New York's attorney general do under the AI companion law?

The attorney general can seek civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation, plus damages, restitution, injunctions and destruction of unlawfully collected data or AI models trained on it. The final bill gives no private right of action.

### Does New York's AI chatbot law apply to dating apps?

The law does not name dating apps. It covers generative AI systems giving ongoing, adaptive responses, so dating operators with AI companion features should check whether they fall within the definition.

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