{"id":8877,"date":"2025-11-18T14:30:55","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T14:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/tech-institute\/insights\/how-existing-laws-apply-to-ai-chatbots-for-kids-and-teens-2\/"},"modified":"2025-12-03T14:41:59","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T14:41:59","slug":"how-existing-laws-apply-to-ai-chatbots-for-kids-and-teens-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/tech-institute\/research-insights\/insights\/how-existing-laws-apply-to-ai-chatbots-for-kids-and-teens-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How Existing Laws Apply to AI Chatbots for Kids and Teens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nearly three in four teens report using AI chatbots, and about one in three teen users of AI chatbot report feeling uncomfortable with something an AI chatbot has included in an output, a <\/span>Common Sense Media survey recently reported<\/span><\/a>. To the children and teens using them, these technologies are not an experiment, even if companies still treat them like one. As chatbots are deployed to hundreds of millions of kids and teens, there have been <\/span>widespread documented harms<\/span><\/a> including <\/span>mental health issues<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>financial<\/span><\/a> harm<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>medical harm<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>emotional<\/span><\/a> dependence<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>manipulation and deception<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>psychosis<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>delusional thinking<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>self-harm<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>suicide<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>bias<\/span><\/a> reinforcement<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>anger or impulsive actions<\/span><\/a>. Enforcers and policymakers now face a familiar challenge: applying longstanding laws to emerging technologies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recognizing the urgency of these issues, we\u2019ve come together \u2013 a team of privacy experts and former enforcers \u2013 to outline how existing laws can meet emerging AI risks to kids and teens. The \u201c<\/span>How Existing Laws Apply to AI Chatbots<\/span> for Kids and Teens<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u201d reference guide offers a practical overview of how existing legal frameworks can address emerging risks associated with chatbots used by or directed toward minors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It underscores a key point: <\/b>There is no AI exemption in the law<\/b>. Federal and state consumer protection, data privacy, and data security statutes continue to apply, even as \u201cnew\u201d technologies reshape how harms manifest in our lives.<\/b><\/h2>\n

This resource synthesizes current enforcement themes across jurisdictions, highlighting how federal and state privacy, data breach, and unfair or deceptive practices (UDAP) laws can be used to tackle chatbot-related harms \u2013 from targeted advertising and data monetization to deceptive marketing and the misuse of AI for therapeutic treatment. Drawing from recent regulatory and enforcement actions, the guide identifies key legal concepts and existing authorities relevant to enforcers, including:<\/span><\/p>\n