Five State Laws Already Shape AI Companion Chat
Five state laws already shape how an AI companion has to behave toward people in the US who chat with it, in New York, California, Washington and Oregon, and one federal statute covers drawn images. I read each one from the official text or from the state's own announcement before summarizing it here, and I checked every date on November 2, 2026. Fans who come for Cute Anime and stay for the AI chat mostly see these laws as small on-screen notices, so each section below says what that notice looks like.
| Law | Who it binds | What you see as a user | In force |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York AI companion law | Operators with users in New York | An AI notice at the start and at least every three hours | November 5, 2025 |
| California SB 243 | Operators with users in California | A clear AI notice when a bot could pass for a human | January 1, 2026 |
| California Adam's Law (SB 1119) | Operators with users in California | Age checks, or child protections for everyone | July 1, 2027 for most duties |
| Washington HB 2225 | Operators with users in Washington | An AI notice every three hours, every hour for minors | January 1, 2027 |
| Oregon SB 1546 | Operators with users in Oregon | AI notices and crisis referrals | January 1, 2027 |
New York Requires an AI Notice Every Three Hours
New York requires an operator to tell users they are talking to AI, not a person, at the start of an interaction and at least every three hours during a long one. The rule has applied since November 5, 2025, according to the Governor of New York. The same law makes operators take reasonable steps to detect expressions of suicidal thoughts or self-harm and to refer those users to crisis services.
Enforcement sits with the state attorney general, who can seek civil penalties of up to $15,000 per day. The law defines an AI companion partly by memory, as a system that keeps information from earlier interactions to personalize later ones, and it names romantic companionship among the relationships these systems simulate.
California Started With SB 243 and Added Adam's Law
California's SB 243 took effect on January 1, 2026, and it requires a clear notice that a companion chatbot is artificial whenever a reasonable person could mistake it for a human. A user the operator knows is a minor must get a reminder at least every three hours to take a break. Operators must also say that companion chatbots may not be suitable for some minors, anyone harmed by a violation can sue, and annual reports to California's Office of Suicide Prevention start on July 1, 2027.
Adam's Law (SB 1119), signed on September 10, 2026, goes further for minors. From July 1, 2027, an operator has to either determine each user's age or give every user the protections written for children. Default settings for child accounts switch off persistent memory and cap a session at one hour and daily use at two hours, and an operator that bars minors must publish how it handles age assurance.
Washington and Oregon Follow in January 2027
Washington and Oregon both bring their AI companion laws into force on January 1, 2027. Washington's HB 2225 requires an AI notice at the start of every chat and at least every three hours, and every hour when the operator knows the user is a minor or the chatbot is aimed at minors.
Oregon's SB 1546 requires AI notices and crisis referrals as well. It also lets an injured user sue the operator directly, with statutory damages of $1,000 per violation.
Federal Law Makes No Exception for Drawn Characters
Federal law makes no exception for drawn or generated characters. 18 U.S.C. ยง 1466A covers obscene visual depictions of any kind, including drawings and cartoons, that show a minor in sexually explicit conduct, and it states that the minor depicted does not have to actually exist. That matters for kawaii art, where big eyes and round faces can read younger than a stated age.
That is why the age check described on the Cute Anime page looks at the picture as well as the profile. I explain the rest of my method in the editorial policy, who writes these pages is on the author page, and corrections to this page go through the contact page. How the site treats your data is covered in the privacy policy and cookie policy, and the terms explain that these summaries are not legal advice.