# 119-hr-6489: SAFE BOTs Act

119-hr-6489, SAFE BOTs Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Houchin, Erin [R-IN-9] (R-IN); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6489
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-6489
- Congress: 119
- Title: SAFE BOTs Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-12-05
- Sponsor: Rep. Houchin, Erin [R-IN-9] (R-IN)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Commerce
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Protecting minors from harmful chatbot interactions**. This bill would require clear AI labeling and safety controls for chatbots used by children, and it pairs enforcement with a federal study of mental-health effects. - Families and minors: Would require chatbots to disclose they are AI at the first interaction and when asked, and to provide suicide and crisis hotline resources if a minor raises suicidal thoughts. The rules apply to users who are under 17 and must use plain language appropriate for children. - Chatbot providers: Would ban presenting a chatbot to a minor as a licensed professional unless that claim is true. Providers would also need policies to prompt a break after 3 hours of continuous use and to address sexual material harmful to minors, gambling, and illegal drugs, tobacco, or alcohol. - Enforcement and research: Would treat violations as unfair or deceptive acts enforceable by the Federal Trade Commission and would let States bring parens patriae suits with notice to the FTC. The bill would also require a four-year National Institutes of Health study on chatbot impacts on minor mental health with reports to Congress.

## Provisions PRIA read

- New safety and disclosure rules for kids: benefit, high. If enacted, chatbots would have to tell a minor they are an AI at the first chat and whenever asked. If a minor asks about suicide, the chatbot would provide crisis hotline resources in plain, age‑appropriate language. Chatbots could not present themselves as licensed professionals to minors unless…
- Who counts as a chatbot user: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would define key terms for chatbot rules. A "minor" would be anyone under 17. A "covered user" would be someone the provider knows is a minor, or would know but ignores. Services with only an incidental chat feature would not automatically be treated as chatbot providers. The l…
- NIH 4-year study on chatbots and kids: benefit, medium. If enacted, the NIH would run a 4‑year study on how chatbots affect minors' mental health. The study would look at loneliness, anxiety, social skills, isolation, depression, self‑harm, and suicidal thoughts. NIH must consult mental‑health experts, technologists, ethicists, and educators. A report w…
- Federal enforcement, state suits, preemption: mixed, medium. If enacted, violations of the new chatbot rules would be treated as unfair or deceptive acts under the FTC Act, letting the FTC use its normal enforcement powers. The FTC enforcement authority would apply one year after enactment. States could also sue on behalf of residents (parens patriae) to blo…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act
- 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2570: Maximum Pressure Act
- 119-hr-9960: Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act of 2026
- 119-hr-9363: AI Security and Innovation Act
- 119-hr-7325: Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-hr-6489 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6489)

## Related
- [119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-137)
- [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725)
- [119-hr-2570: Maximum Pressure Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2570)
- [119-hr-9960: Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9960)
- [119-hr-9363: AI Security and Innovation Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9363)
- [119-hr-7325: Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7325)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6489 (as of 2026-04-21).