SB 243: Chatbots: minors.

Existing law requires a social media platform to take various steps to prevent cyberbullying of minors on the platform, including by requiring the platform to establish a prominent mechanism within its internet-based service that allows any individual, whether or not that individual has a profile on the internet-based service, to report cyberbullying or any content that violates the existing terms of service related to cyberbullying.

This bill would, among other things related to making a chatbot platform safer for minor users, require an operator, as defined, of a chatbot platform to take reasonable steps to prevent a chatbot on its chatbot platform from providing rewards to a minor user at unpredictable intervals or after an inconsistent number of actions or from encouraging increased engagement, usage, or response rates.

This bill would require an operator to annually report to the State Department of Health Care Services certain things, including the number of times the operator has detected exhibitions of suicidal ideation by minor users. The bill would also require the operator to submit its chatbot platform to regular audits by a third party to ensure compliance with the bill.