FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Oct. 28, 2025
Contact: Ashwin Verghese, Communications Director, [email protected], 508-263-0289
Statement on the GUARD Act
We are encouraged by the recent introduction of the GUARD Act and appreciate the leadership of Senators Hawley and Blumenthal on this effort. We applaud Senator Hawley’s consistent efforts on AI chatbot harms, including holding a Congressional hearing for survivor parents to tell their stories and investigating several AI chatbot companies. We were glad to see parents represented during the introduction of this legislation and support their efforts to prevent AI chatbots from causing harm to more children.
We look forward in the coming months to working with Senators Hawley and Blumenthal to strengthen the GUARD Act and appreciate their passion for protecting children from the serious harms caused by companion AI. Our proposed changes are as follows:
- We believe the definition of AI Companions can be strengthened to ensure that users are effectively protected from the wide array of AI chatbots currently causing harm.
- We continue to believe that the most effective way to address the dangers currently facing children and teens from AI chatbots is to focus on platform design, prohibiting AI platforms from employing features that maximize engagement to the detriment of young peoples’ safety and wellbeing.
- Finally, we believe that language around age verification systems should be more effectively tailored to focus on keeping dangerous features from harming kids and teens.
This bill is one part of a national movement to protect children and teens from the dangers of companion chatbots. We look forward to partnering with the Senators as well as state legislators from across the country to address this urgent and time sensitive issue, understanding that states should continue to take action while we await the result of the Congressional process.
Signatories:
Young People’s Alliance
Tech Justice Law Project
Transparency Coalition
Fairplay
Consumer Federation of America
Institute for Families and Technology
Children & Screens
All Girls Allowed
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About Fairplay
Fairplay is the leading nonprofit committed to helping children thrive in an increasingly commercialized, screen-obsessed culture, and the only organization dedicated to ending marketing to children. Fairplay works to enhance children’s well-being by eliminating the exploitative and harmful business practices of marketers and Big Tech. Learn more at www.fairplayforkids.org.