Rep. Moore Introduces GUARD Act to Require Age Verification for AI Chatbots
The GUARD Act is in the early stages of the legislative process and is currently sitting with the House Judiciary and Energy and Commerce committees. These committees must review the bill before it can move forward, but no action has occurred since April 29, 2026. Most bills do not receive a committee vote, so this proposal is not showing signs of active progress.
While there is bipartisan concern about kids and AI, age verification bills often face legal challenges and pushback from tech companies.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
Small companies that develop or operate AI chatbots would face significant new compliance costs. They would need to implement age verification systems, build account management infrastructure, program mandatory disclosures every 30 minutes, and set up robust data security. Fines of up to $100,000 per violation create serious financial risk for smaller operators who may lack the legal and engineering resources of major tech firms.
“Any person who violates section 5 or 6, or a regulation promulgated thereunder, shall be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $100,000 for each violation.”
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved the GUARD Act, which would ban AI companies from providing 'AI companions' to minors and require age verification for all chatbot users. The bill aims to prevent harmful interactions that have been linked to youth mental health crises.
Bipartisan support is growing for the GUARD Act, a bill that aims to protect children from the mental health risks and potential sexual exploitation associated with AI companion apps. Lawmakers cited tragic cases of teen suicide as a primary driver for the legislation.
The bill imposes criminal penalties on companies whose AI chatbots engage in sexually explicit conduct with minors or encourage self-harm. It also requires chatbots to explicitly state they are not human and prohibits them from pretending to be licensed professionals like doctors or lawyers.
No votes recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
GUARD Act
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