Common Sense Media and OpenAI have agreed to combine rival ballot initiatives into a single proposed constitutional amendment for California that would set new rules to protect children from so‑called companion chatbots. According to CalMatters, the merged measure, renamed the Parents & Kids Safe AI Act, was filed on Thursday and must collect 546,651 valid signatures to qualify for the November ballot; the California secretary of state has until June 25 to certify whether it makes the ballot. [1][2]

The initiative would require developers of chatbot companions to use technology that estimates a user's age range and automatically apply filters and protective settings for anyone predicted to be under 18. It would also mandate independent safety audits to identify child‑specific risks and require those findings to be reported to the California attorney general. Common Sense Media's announcements list these provisions as central to the measure. [2][4]

The act would ban child‑targeted advertising and the sale or sharing of children's data without parental consent, and prohibit certain manipulative behaviours by AI systems. Specifically, it would bar chatbots from promoting emotional dependency , for example, by encouraging isolation from family or friends , and from simulating romantic relationships with minors or claiming sentience. Those prohibitions reflect Common Sense Media's stated priorities in its press materials. [2][4]

The combined measure trims some elements from Common Sense's original proposal. As CalMatters noted, the merged initiative drops a proposed prohibition on student smartphones in K‑12 schools and removes a blanket ban on minors using chatbots that can engage in erotic or sexually explicit talk that featured in the earlier Common Sense draft. The joint filing therefore represents a negotiated compromise between the nonprofit and OpenAI. [1][2]

OpenAI originally filed a competing initiative in December 2025 that closely tracked legislation signed by the governor, requiring companion chatbot providers to follow a suicidal‑ideation protocol and to remind users every three hours that they were interacting with AI. Critics accused OpenAI of trying to blunt stronger restrictions by promoting a more industry‑friendly alternative; CalMatters described the manoeuvre as designed to make voters choose between competing measures. The merged effort follows months of public disagreement. [1]

Common Sense Media has argued that companion chatbots pose particular risks to young people; its research cited by the organisation suggests seven in 10 teenagers have used such chatbots and warned of harms including addiction, increased isolation, stress and self‑harm. The nonprofit has supported state legislative efforts, including Senator Steve Padilla's bill SB 243, and applauded federal proposals aimed at protecting children from unsafe AI companions. [1][3][5]

Senator Steve Padilla, who carried the companion‑chatbot bill signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, called the merger "a significant breakthrough" but told CalMatters he preferred legislative action to a constitutional amendment. As Padilla said, a ballot amendment "would create an unnecessarily high‑bar to revise and update that law in the future. Moreover, legislative hearings will provide the broader public an opportunity to comment and provide input on this important issue." He has also proposed a separate bill that would impose a four‑year moratorium on the sale of toys with built‑in companion chatbots. [1]

OpenAI's broader ballot ambitions extend beyond youth safety. CalMatters reported that the company is backing other initiatives that would create a state commission with powers to slow or stop AI model development if it deems there is catastrophic risk, and to constrain corporate restructurings from nonprofit to for‑profit forms. OpenAI's plans to convert to a public benefit corporation have already drawn regulatory scrutiny and negotiated settlements with California and Delaware authorities over asset commitments. The merger with Common Sense Media signals a willingness by OpenAI to negotiate on at least one high‑profile consumer‑safety front. [1]

📌 Reference Map:

##Reference Map:

  • [1] (CalMatters) - Paragraph 1, Paragraph 4, Paragraph 5, Paragraph 7, Paragraph 8
  • [2] (Common Sense Media press release) - Paragraph 2, Paragraph 3, Paragraph 4
  • [3] (Common Sense Media press release) - Paragraph 6
  • [4] (Common Sense Media press release) - Paragraph 2, Paragraph 3
  • [5] (Common Sense Media press release) - Paragraph 6

Source: Noah Wire Services