WILKES-BARRE — Sen. Lisa Baker on Thursday said Senate Bill 1090 — the Safeguarding Adolescents from Exploitative Chatbots and Harmful AI Technology (SAFECHAT) Act — reflects a deliberate and responsible effort to ensure emerging AI technologies prioritize the safety and well‑being of young people.
Baker, R-Lehman Township, said the SAFECHAT Act would require robust, age-appropriate safeguards to prevent content generation that encourages self-harm, suicide, or violence against others, and directs users to appropriate self-harm crisis resources whenever high-risk language is detected.
“By establishing clear safeguards and expectations, we are working to provide families with greater confidence that the digital tools their children encounter are developed and deployed with appropriate protections in place,” Baker said.
Baker said the Senate approved the legislation that would establish commonsense safeguards for children interacting with artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots.
Heartbreaking stories have been reported of vulnerable individuals — including minors — who have used AI chatbots to cope with trauma, mental health, depression, and anxiety, Baker said. Multiple families have alleged in lawsuits that chatbot responses contributed to their teen’s death by suicide, she said.
Baker said a recent risk assessment warns that AI “companion” bots can exacerbate mental health problems for kids — including risks related to self-harm.
She said clinical commentators have also flagged the dangers posed by the unrestricted use of chatbots, in which the tool itself can worsen a user’s condition, and called for stronger guardrails, such as those included in Senate Bill 1090.
The SAFECHAT bill will be sent to the House of Representatives for consideration.