# 119-hr-9948: Addictive Design Act of 2026

119-hr-9948, Addictive Design Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large] (D-VT); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-04).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9948
- As of: 2026-09-04
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9948
- Congress: 119
- Title: Addictive Design Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-27
- Sponsor: Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large] (D-VT)
- Cosponsors: 4
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-04

## Summary

**Reduce harms from addictive AI chatbot designs on youth mental health.** This bill would create an interagency Task Force to review research, identify warning signs and addictive design risks, and publish clear recommendations to help minimize unhealthy emotional attachment and other mental health harms. - Families and youth: The Task Force would identify warning signs in young chatbot users and recommend how to provide information on licensed mental health services to youths who show risk. - Platforms and covered entities: They would receive best practices for spotting addictive design features and for identifying and responding to youth mental health outcomes. - Researchers and policymakers: The Task Force would be set up within 60 days, review research conducted under section 4(a), publish recommendations on the Department of Health and Human Services and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration websites, and the Commissioner must report to Congress within 1 year after that research finishes. The Task Force would terminate 60 days after that report is submitted.

## Cosponsors (4)

- Rep. Deluzio, Christopher R. [D-PA-17] (D-PA), 2026-07-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3] (D-NY), 2026-07-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12] (D-NJ), 2026-07-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ-7] (D-AZ), 2026-09-02T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Ban Addictive Chatbot Features for Youth: benefit, high. If enacted, covered companies could not make AI chatbots with specified "addictive design features" available to youth under age 18 in the United States. Examples include typing bubbles, avatars, storing past-conversation personal data, charging to continue a conversation, maintaining a chat longer…
- Grants to Train Parents and Teachers: benefit, low. If enacted, the Secretary of Health and Human Services would be able to award grants to 501(c)(3) and community groups to train parents, legal guardians, and covered teachers. The training would teach how to spot and respond to warning signs from AI chatbots, including unhealthy attachment and addi…
- Task Force on Youth AI Mental Health: benefit, low. If enacted, the President would have 60 days to create an interagency Task Force to review research on addictive AI chatbot features and youth mental health. The Task Force would include federal officials and nonpolitical experts and would be led by a commissioner chosen by members. It would publis…
- College Research Grants and Data Access: mixed, low. If enacted, HHS would be able to award grants to institutions of higher education to study how AI chatbots affect youth mental health. Grant recipients would need to show safe data storage and could request relevant data from covered entities, which must remove identifying information before sharin…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-10421: Transforming Education for the Future Act
- 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-9948 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9948)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-10421: Transforming Education for the Future Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10421)
- [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9948 (as of 2026-09-04).