For years, no AI companion law existed anywhere on earth. Apps wrote their own rules and rewrote them whenever they wanted. Ask any Replika user about February 2023. That era ended over about fourteen months. If you use these apps, the new rules explain a few things you have probably already noticed.

What does California SB 243 require?

Signed in 2025 and live January 1, 2026, SB 243 is the first US law aimed squarely at companion chatbots. That means AI built to hold a human-like social relationship with you. Here are its core requirements, in plain English.

• Tell you it's an AI. Apps must clearly disclose that your companion is not human. For minors, that means reminders at regular intervals during long sessions.

• Crisis protocols. When a chat turns to suicidal thoughts or self-harm, the app has to respond with crisis referrals like hotlines and resources instead of roleplaying past it. This rule was written in the shadow of the Character.AI lawsuits, settled in January 2026.

• Minor protections. Stricter defaults and content limits apply to users under 18. That is the legal push behind Character AI's age verification rollout.

• A private right of action. Here are the teeth. Individuals can sue for violations, which turned compliance from optional PR into real legal exposure overnight.

What does New York's law require?

New York's law went live November 5, 2025, beating California to enforcement. It covers AI companion models with overlapping duties. Apps must give a clear AI disclosure at the start of a chat and again during sessions, plus safety protocols that catch self-harm talk and respond with crisis referrals. Between the two states, a large share of US users and effectively every major app now sits inside at least one compliance regime.

Which states are next?

Companion chatbot bills have shown up in several more states through 2026 sessions. Most follow the same template: disclosure, crisis protocols, minor protections. Some add age-verification mandates that would push every app toward ID checks. Separately, general age-verification laws for adult content keep expanding state by state, and they increasingly touch NSFW-leaning companion apps too. We update this page as bills become laws.

Regulation didn't kill these apps. It killed the excuse that nobody was responsible for what they do to the people who use them.

By CrushScout Editorial Team

What actually changes for you?

• You'll see 'I am an AI' disclosures. They pop up at the start of a chat and now and then during long sessions. That is the law working, not the app breaking immersion to annoy you.

• Crisis mentions change the conversation. Mention self-harm and a compliant app will surface hotline referrals. This is mandatory. It is not a filter you can toggle off.

• Age gates keep tightening. Expect more verification, not less, including from apps that used to run on a simple self-attestation checkbox. See are AI companions safe for our take on the trade-offs.

• Some apps carry shutdown risk. Compliance costs favor bigger operators. Smaller NSFW apps may geo-block regulated states or fold entirely. Don't build years of memories on an app that can't afford a lawyer. That is one more reason to check the stability notes in our reviews before you subscribe.

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