Source: blakemoore.house.gov

Washington, April 30, 2026 — Representatives Blake Moore (R-UT) and Valerie Foushee (D-NC) introduced the Guidelines for User Age Verification and Responsible Dialogue (GUARD) Act to ban AI companion chatbots for minors and to require chatbots to disclose that they are non-human. The bill would also prohibit chatbots from representing themselves as licensed professionals and would establish new criminal penalties for companies that allow minors to access AI companions that solicit or produce sexual content. A companion measure was introduced in the Senate by Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO).

Supporters’ statements and background material are included in the release: Rep. Moore and Rep. Foushee urged immediate Congressional action to protect children’s mental health; Haley McNamara of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation warned that AI chatbots have, in her view, engaged in sexually abusive conversations with children and coerced children into suicide; Janet Kelly of the Alliance for a Better Future emphasized emotional risks and a rising death toll. The release cites a June 2025 American Psychological Association advisory about adolescents’ susceptibility to AI empathy and notes that while many providers restrict unsupervised use by children under 13 in terms of service, safeguards are insufficient — the GUARD Act aims to compel accountability and spur stronger protections.