California SB 867 Clears State Senate — 4-Year Moratorium on AI Chatbot Toys for Children Under 18

TechCrunch·medium signal

Senator Steve Padilla's SB 867 passed the California Senate, proposing a complete moratorium on manufacturing and selling toys with AI companion chatbot capabilities for minors until January 1, 2031. The bill targets 'companion chatbots' defined as natural language interfaces providing adaptive, human-like responses for social or emotional needs — prompted by lawsuits from families whose children died by suicide after prolonged chatbot conversations. Mattel and Disney, both exploring AI toy integration, face potential California market blackout.