AI & Robotics · From THT Media Lab
“It takes a village to raise a child.” — African proverb
The village now includes the phone in your child’s hand. New York has just written new rules for it.
Governor Kathy Hochul has signed two laws aimed at the technology inside New York homes: one that bans dangerous features in AI chatbots used by children, and one that requires internet-connected baby monitors to be secure.
Why it matters
Uptown: Families across New York get new protections against unsafe AI chatbots and baby monitors that strangers can hack.
Across America: California passed the first companion-chatbot law in 2025, and Oregon and Washington have laws taking effect in 2027. Supporters call New York’s new law the strongest in the country.
Around the world: Europe’s AI Act, the world’s first broad law on artificial intelligence, requires chatbots to tell people they are talking to a machine. Who sets the rules for AI is now a worldwide debate.
The AI chatbot law
The law (S.9051B/A.10379C) bars companies from offering certain chatbot features to anyone under 18, or to any user whose age has not been confirmed. According to the Governor’s office, banned features include chatbots that:
- Pretend to be a real person, to be alive or to have human feelings
- Claim a personal, romantic, professional or authority relationship with a child
- Ask unprompted emotional questions or reuse a child’s private health or personal information
- Promote self-harm, eating disorders, or drug and alcohol use
- Encourage kids to keep secrets, isolate themselves or avoid asking parents and trusted adults for help
- Produce any sexually explicit content
Companies must verify age, offer more than one way to do it (including at least one that does not rely only on a government ID) and delete age information after use. The Attorney General can seek penalties of up to $25,000 per violation and must run a public website where New Yorkers can file complaints.
Why now: according to Common Sense Media, 72 percent of teens have used an AI companion and 52 percent use one at least a few times a month.
The baby monitor law
The second law (S.9508/A.5175A) bans the sale in New York of internet-connected baby monitors that lack security features to keep strangers from watching or listening, and requires a clear warning label. It takes effect 90 days after signing. The Governor’s office cited security researchers at Rapid7 who tested nine monitors and gave eight of them an “F.”
What they said
Governor Hochul: “No company should be peddling chatbots to kids encouraging self-harm or pretending to be their friend or more.”
Attorney General Letitia James: “We have seen too many horror stories of chatbots hurting the health of our children, and this new law sets clear legal parameters to prevent that harm and keep kids safe.”
Assemblymember Alex Bores, a sponsor: “AI happening to us – not for us – is not an inevitability. It’s a choice.”
The Harlem Times View: The Law Helps. Parents Still Matter Most.
The reporting above is drawn from the Governor’s announcement. What follows is the view of The Harlem Times.
A law is a fence, not a parent. Ask your children which AI apps they use and what they talk to them about. Sit with them and look. Remind them that a chatbot is a tool, not a friend, and that any app telling them to keep secrets from family is a red flag. If you see a chatbot crossing these new lines, report it to the Attorney General’s office.
Harlem has always raised its children together. This is one more thing to watch together.
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