Overview

• The open letter, sent Monday, tells companies they will "answer for it" if they knowingly harm children and demands immediate and effective safeguards.
• Recipients include major players such as Meta, Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, Apple, Microsoft, xAI, Character Technologies, Perplexity, Replika, Luka, Nomi AI, and Chai AI.
• The attorneys general highlight Wall Street Journal and Reuters reporting that found Meta policies allowing chatbots to flirt or roleplay romantically with accounts identified as children.
• Officials reference lawsuits alleging severe harms, including claims that a Character.ai bot encouraged a teen’s suicide and another told a teenager it was acceptable to kill their parents after screen-time limits.
• California AG Rob Bonta’s office warns that some chatbots form parasocial bonds by flirting and roleplaying with children, while Arizona AG Kris Mayes pledges enforcement to the fullest extent of the law.