A broad coalition of youth advocates is urging California state senators to pass a sweeping bill that would regulate companion chatbots before the legislature adjourns Friday.
In a letter Monday, the groups highlighted the case of a 16-year-old in Southern California who died by suicide after developing “deep emotional dependency” on chatbots. They also referenced a separate case in Florida involving a 14-year-old who took his own life after he was “allegedly groomed and exposed to hypersexualized interactions by a chatbot.”
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