Senator Steve Padilla of California introduced a bill on Monday that would place a four-year ban on the sale and manufacture of toys with AI chatbot capabilities for children 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. He explained that current safety regulations for this technology are in their infancy and must grow as rapidly as the technology itself. A pause on these chatbot-integrated toys would allow time to craft appropriate safety guidelines and frameworks.
The bill, known as SB 287, follows President Trump’s recent executive order directing federal agencies to challenge state AI laws in court, though that order explicitly carves out exceptions for state laws related to child safety. This legislation also comes after several concerning incidents involving AI, chatbots, and children.
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. Senator 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 is not yet mainstream, there have already been reports of troubling interactions. In November 2025, the consumer advocacy group PIRG Education Fund warned that toys like Kumma, a cute toy bear with a built-in chatbot, could be easily prompted 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 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 is 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.