WASHINGTON, DC (April 29, 2026) – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) and RAINN are urging the U.S. Congress to expeditiously pass the GUARD Act as proposed by its sponsors to protect children from the harms of AI chatbots. The GUARD (Guidelines for User Age-verification and Responsible Dialogue) Act, sponsored by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), will be marked up by the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow.
The GUARD Act would require the implementation of age verification on AI chatbots, requiring additional protections for minors. It would also make it a criminal offense—punishable by fines of up to $100,000—to create chatbots that solicit or exploit minors, or that encourage suicide, self-harm, or physical or sexual violence.
The GUARD ACT would require that AI companies take three critical actions: 1) Check users’ ages before allowing them to access chatbots, 2) Prohibit minors from using AI companions that simulate romantic or emotional attachment, 3) Include clear disclosures that users are interacting with a machine, not a human being or licensed professional.
“The time to ‘just trust’ AI chatbots with our kids is over. The harms are unfolding in real time, they aren’t hypothetical. AI chatbots have already had sexually abusive conversations with children. AI chatbots have already coerced children into committing suicide. The GUARD Act will help to protect minors from these harms by deliberately ensuring that violations are punishable by law. The GUARD Act has the sharp teeth needed to deal with rising AI exploitation,” said Haley McNamara, Executive Director and Chief Strategy Officer, National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
“Right now, children are allowed, and even encouraged, by tech companies to engage with AI chatbots that are mimicking affection, manipulating them, and making them vulnerable to predators on and offline,” said RAINN Vice President of Public Policy Stefan Turkheimer. “The GUARD Act will finally ensure tech companies prioritize kids’ safety instead of profits. We shouldn’t need a federal law to prevent a computer from having a sexual relationship with a child, but here we are.”
About RAINN
RAINN is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, and creator and operator of the National Sexual Assault Hotline. RAINN’s mission is to stop sexual violence by supporting survivors, holding perpetrators accountable, and creating safer communities. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, free, confidential, 24/7 support in English and en Español is available. Call 800.656.HOPE (4673), chat at RAINN.org/hotline, or text “HOPE” to 64673.
About National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE)
Founded in 1962, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is the leading national non-profit organization exposing the links between all forms of sexual exploitation such as child sexual abuse, prostitution, sex trafficking and the public health harms of pornography.
