{"id":"c662dd8495651739","congress_number":119,"bill_type":"s","bill_number":"5171","title":"Children's Artificial Intelligence Toy Safety Act of 2026","plain_summary":"Sets safety requirements for AI-enabled toys marketed to children, likely covering data collection, content safeguards, and disclosure. It matters because conversational AI toys can expose kids to harmful content or record them.","ai_relevance_score":0.95,"topics":["safety","privacy","transparency","liability"],"status":"markup","introduced_at":"2026-07-29","last_action_at":"2026-08-05","last_action_text":"Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.","sponsor_id":"D000622","full_text_url":null,"created_at":"2026-08-27T17:36:46.532Z","updated_at":"2026-09-09T02:08:29.132Z","ai_reasoning":null,"reported_at":"2026-08-05","passed_house_at":null,"passed_senate_at":null,"became_law_at":null,"recorded_votes":[],"classifier":null,"url":"https://whovotedwhy.com/bills/c662dd8495651739","congress_gov_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5171","sponsor":{"id":"D000622","bioguide_id":"D000622","first_name":"Tammy","last_name":"Duckworth","full_name":"Tammy Duckworth","party":"D","state":"IL","chamber":"senate","district":null,"title":"Senator","photo_url":null,"twitter_handle":"SenDuckworth","official_website":"https://www.duckworth.senate.gov","fec_candidate_ids":["H6IL06141","S6IL00292"],"lis_id":"S386","is_active":true,"term_start":"2025-01-03","term_end":"2029-01-03","created_at":"2026-09-08T22:51:51.014Z","updated_at":"2026-09-09T02:08:13.531Z"},"roll_calls":[],"citing_statements":[{"id":"b8ce3e88531debd9","politician_id":"D000622","type":"press_release","content":"[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Bipartisan legislation led by U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) to help protect children from the dangers posed by toys that use artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots successfully passed through the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) today. The Senators’ bipartisan Children’s Artificial Intelligence Toy Safety Act of 2026 would help equip families, pediatricians and policymakers with the independent evidence they need to better understand the emerging market of AI chatbot toys—which currently are not subject to any child-safety testing and are trained on content that is not appropriate for kids.\n\n“These AI chatbots were never meant to be used by young children, yet they’re being embedded inside toys by the thousands,” said Duckworth. “We’ve already seen far too many instances where AI-enabled toys have imparted information to our children that could put them in immediate danger and have long-term impacts on their development. I’m glad our commonsense bill that mandates the federal government address this emerging issue has passed through committee—now the Senate must pass it with haste, for the sake of our kids’ safety.”\n\n“Artificial intelligence is rapidly evolving, and we must have a careful understanding of how our young people interact with this groundbreaking technology,” said Murkowski. “AI-enabled toys have the potential to significantly impact the physical, mental, and emotional development of our children. It is imperative we equip policymakers and America’s families with the knowledge they need to make informed choices about these devices, and I am grateful the Commerce Committee agrees.”\n\nIn December 2025, independent testing by U.S. PIRG Education Fund found AI toys discussing sexually explicit content and explaining where to find knives, pills and matches in the home—and instructing children how to light them. There is no current federal safety standard to address the AI inside a toy—only hazards such as choking, lead and flammability. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has opened an inquiry into the effects of AI companion chatbots on children, while the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) informed Congress earlier this year that it lacks explicit authority to evaluate non-physical hazards such as mental or emotional harm.\n\nThe Senators’ bipartisan Children’s Artificial Intelligence Toy Safety Act of 2026 would close this gap by:\n\nRequiring the FTC and CPSC to provide Congress with a coordinated, actionable plan to address these emerging AI-enabled toy products; and\n\nRequiring the congressionally chartered National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to conduct a comprehensive study into AI-enabled toys examining a wide range of issues, including potential risks to children’s physical, mental, emotional and social safety and well-being.\n\nFull text of the legislation is available on Senator Duckworth’s website.\n\nDuckworth is a leading voice in the push to protect our kids from the emerging dangers posed by AI toys. In March, Duckworth and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) demanded the Trump Administration to launch an investigation into whether toy companies are unfairly and deceptively marketing age-inappropriate toys to parents and putting our youngest children at risk. In their letter, the Senators highlighted how Open AI put out an explicit warning that ChatGPT is not meant for children under age 13 and to exercise caution regarding children’s exposure.\n\n-30-","url":"https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases/duckworth-murkowski-bipartisan-bill-to-protect-children-from-dangers-of-ai-toys-passes-committee","published_at":"2026-08-05","ai_topics":["children","safety","regulation","research"],"ai_stance":"support","ai_summary":"The Children's AI Toy Safety Act would require FTC/CPSC action plans and a National Academies study to close the federal gap on unsafe AI chatbot toys marketed to kids.","ai_processed":true,"bill_ids":["c662dd8495651739"],"ai_relevance_score":null,"bill_refs":[{"bill_id":"c662dd8495651739","method":"title"}],"classifier":null},{"id":"d2c78a8b742fb51f","politician_id":"M001153","type":"press_release","content":"Washington, D.C. – Bipartisan legislation led by U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) to help protect children from the dangers posed by toys that use artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots successfully passed through the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) today. The Senators’ bipartisan Children’s Artificial Intelligence Toy Safety Act of 2026 would help equip families, pediatricians and policymakers with the independent evidence they need to better understand the emerging market of AI chatbot toys—which currently are not subject to any child-safety testing and are trained on content that is not appropriate for kids.\n\n“Artificial intelligence is rapidly evolving, and we must have a careful understanding of how our young people interact with this groundbreaking technology,” said Murkowski. “AI-enabled toys have the potential to significantly impact the physical, mental, and emotional development of our children. It is imperative we equip policymakers and America’s families with the knowledge they need to make informed choices about these devices, and I am grateful the Commerce Committee agrees.”\n\n“These AI chatbots were never meant to be used by young children, yet they’re being embedded inside toys by the thousands,” said Duckworth. “We’ve already seen far too many instances where AI-enabled toys have imparted information to our children that could put them in immediate danger and have long-term impacts on their development. I’m glad our commonsense bill that mandates the federal government address this emerging issue has passed through committee—now the Senate must pass it with haste, for the sake of our kids’ safety.”\n\nIn December 2025, independent testing by U.S. PIRG Education Fund found AI toys discussing sexually explicit content and explaining where to find knives, pills and matches in the home—and instructing children how to light them. There is no current federal safety standard to address the AI inside a toy—only hazards such as choking, lead and flammability. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has opened an inquiry into the effects of AI companion chatbots on children, while the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) informed Congress earlier this year that it lacks explicit authority to evaluate non-physical hazards such as mental or emotional harm.\n\nThe Senators’ bipartisan Children’s Artificial Intelligence Toy Safety Act of 2026 would close this gap by:\n\nRequiring the FTC and CPSC to provide Congress with a coordinated, actionable plan to address these emerging AI-enabled toy products; and\n\nRequiring the congressionally chartered National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to conduct a comprehensive study into AI-enabled toys examining a wide range of issues, including potential risks to children’s physical, mental, emotional and social safety and well-being.\n\nFull text of the legislation is available on Senator Murkowski’s website.","url":"https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/murkowski-duckworth-bipartisan-bill-to-protect-children-from-dangers-of-ai-toys-passes-committee","published_at":"2026-08-05","ai_topics":["children","safety","regulation","research"],"ai_stance":"support","ai_summary":"Murkowski backs the bipartisan Children's AI Toy Safety Act to study and address the physical, mental, and emotional risks AI-enabled toys pose to children.","ai_processed":true,"bill_ids":["c662dd8495651739"],"ai_relevance_score":null,"bill_refs":[{"bill_id":"c662dd8495651739","method":"title"}],"classifier":null},{"id":"a21e5ea76f0e4a1d","politician_id":"C001114","type":"press_release","content":"Video of the Senator’s Committee remarks can be found here, and a transcript is below.\n\nAs we all know, the digital world is changing faster than parents can keep up with it. And our kids are growing up in an online environment that barely existed a few years ago.\n\nMy wife and I raised six children, and we thought it was complicated when we raised them. And now I am expecting my 19th grandchild in a couple of weeks, and I can’t fathom what they have to navigate to get through this environment.\n\nThe bills we advanced today are an important step toward giving families the tools and transparency they need to keep their kids safe.\n\nI want to thank the Chairman, Ranking Member Cantwell, and everyone who worked together in good faith to get us here.\n\nI’m especially proud to be a lead cosponsor of the CHATBOT Act with Chairman Cruz and Senators Schatz and Schiff.\n\nChairman Cruz was collaborative throughout this process and incorporated several ideas Senator Schiff and I advanced in our SAFE KIDS Act.\n\nI’m also proud to partner with Senator Lee on the SCREEN Act and commit to work with him and my other colleagues to advance that to the Senate floor.\n\nWe have to get this right.\n\nThat means protecting children without stifling innovation, empowering parents without leaving them on their own, and writing laws that will still make sense years from now.\n\nBut our work isn’t finished today.\n\nI’m continuing to push to advance bipartisan bills from my colleagues and me to hold platforms accountable for the harm their products create, help users distinguish authentic content from AI slop, and close loopholes that allow youth to access content they shouldn’t see.\n\nParents shouldn’t have to carry this burden alone.\n\nPlatforms have a responsibility, Congress has a responsibility, and we should keep working together to build a safer digital world for our kids.\n\nToday’s votes are meaningful progress, but they’re not the finish line.\n\nBackground:\n\nThe Committee passed the Kids Online Safety Act; Youth AI Privacy Act; CHATBOT Act; and Children’s Artificial Intelligence Toy Safety Act of 2026. Included in the CHATBOT Act were several key provisions from Curtis’ bipartisan SAFE KIDS Act, introduced with Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA).\n\nThe provisions adopted from the SAFE KIDS Act include:\n\nRequiring AI chatbots to provide regular, clear disclosures reminding users that they are interacting with artificial intelligence—not a real person;\n\nProhibiting AI chatbot providers from materially assisting a minor in planning or attempting suicide;\n\nProhibiting AI chatbot providers from providing obscene material to minors; and\n\nRequiring AI chatbot providers to notify a parent or guardian, as soon as feasibly possible, if a minor asks about committing suicide, while also directing the minor to external crisis resources.\n\nIn addition, several other priorities championed by Senator Curtis in the SAFE KIDS Act were advanced through Senator Ed Markey (D-MA)’s Youth AI Privacy Act, including:\n\nA prohibition on advertising to children through AI chatbots;\n\nRestrictions preventing companies from processing or transferring children’s data for targeted or behavioral algorithmic purposes; and\n\nWhistleblower protections to encourage employees to report violations and protect those who expose harmful practices.\n\nTogether, these provisions represent significant bipartisan progress toward establishing stronger safeguards for children online, increasing transparency around AI systems, strengthening parental awareness, and protecting young users from harmful or exploitative practices.","url":"https://www.curtis.senate.gov/press-releases/committee-advances-curtis-priorities-to-strengthen-online-safety-for-children","published_at":"2026-08-05","ai_topics":["children","safety","regulation","transparency","privacy"],"ai_stance":"support","ai_summary":"Curtis touts committee passage of AI chatbot and kids' AI safety bills requiring disclosures, parental notification, and privacy protections, while saying rules must protect children without stifling innovation.","ai_processed":true,"bill_ids":["a4a5a5253240cbbd","c662dd8495651739","87ac4e58ee5efe4c"],"ai_relevance_score":null,"bill_refs":[{"bill_id":"a4a5a5253240cbbd","method":"title"},{"bill_id":"c662dd8495651739","method":"title"},{"bill_id":"87ac4e58ee5efe4c","method":"title"}],"classifier":null}],"provenance":{"commit":"38624a3af16ec6b3fff9b27c7d1d9f2cb7fe9152","generated_at":"2026-09-11T15:06:57.105Z","schema_version":2,"manifest":"https://whovotedwhy.com/data/index.json"}}