California Legislature Passes Adam's Law Safeguards
California's companion-chatbot child-safety model—covering age assurance, audits, and harmful-output restrictions—is a reference point for Australian online safety and AI governance discussions.
Key points
- California's legislature passed SB 1119 (Adam's Law) 64-4 / 39-0, now awaiting the Governor's signature.
- The bill mandates age assurance, risk assessments, parental controls, crisis protocols, and biennial independent audits for companion chatbots used by minors.
- Directly relevant to Australian agencies only as a comparative reference; no immediate domestic compliance obligations arise.
Implications for Australian agencies
- Monitor Policy teams working on online safety or AI governance may want to monitor whether Adam's Law is signed and how its age-assurance and audit model compares to emerging Australian approaches.
- Consider Agencies advising on AI product safety for minors could consider the bill's risk-assessment and audit structure as a comparative reference when developing domestic guidance.
Implications are AI-generated. Starting points, not advice — see methodology for how they're framed.
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"California Legislature Passes Adam's Law Safeguards"
Source: Let's Data Science – AI Governance
Published: 1 September 2026
URL: https://letsdatascience.com/news/california-legislature-passes-adams-law-safeguards-dd63cb5d
California's legislature passed SB 1119 (Adam's Law) on August 31, 2026, with near-unanimous support, sending it to Governor Newsom for signature. If enacted, the law would require operators of companion chatbots to conduct documented risk assessments, implement age assurance or apply child protections universally, enforce parental controls and usage limits, follow crisis-response protocols, and restrict child-directed advertising and personal data use. An initial independent audit would be required by January 1, 2029, with biennial audits thereafter. The bill is widely described as the most comprehensive child-safety regulation for AI chatbots in the United States.
Implications for Australian agencies:
- [Monitor] Policy teams working on online safety or AI governance may want to monitor whether Adam's Law is signed and how its age-assurance and audit model compares to emerging Australian approaches.
- [Consider] Agencies advising on AI product safety for minors could consider the bill's risk-assessment and audit structure as a comparative reference when developing domestic guidance.
Retrieved from SIMS, 15 November 2026.