GUARD Act

On October 28, 2025, the Guidelines for User Age-verification and Responsible Dialogue Act of 2025, or GUARD Act (S.3062), was introduced in the Senate by Senator Hawley (R-MO) and 18 cosponsors. The bill was subsequently read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. This marks an early stage in the legislative process, indicating that the bill has not yet undergone committee hearings or votes. The GUARD Act does not authorize or appropriate any specific funding amounts. Instead, it proposes regulatory requirements for "artificial intelligence chatbots" and "AI companions." The bill defines these terms broadly to include interactive computer services or software applications that produce new expressive content and accept open-ended natural-language input, excluding those with limited, contextualized replies. The primary mechanism of the bill is to mandate "reasonable age verification measures" and "certain disclosures" for covered entities operating these chatbots for individuals in the United States, particularly concerning minors (individuals under 18). Companies operating AI chatbots, especially those with consumer-facing applications, would be structurally impacted by the potential implementation of age verification and disclosure requirements. This could include major technology companies that develop or deploy AI models, as well as social media platforms and other consumer application providers utilizing AI. While no specific tickers are named in the bill, companies like Alphabet (GOOGL), Meta Platforms (META), and Microsoft (MSFT) that are heavily invested in AI development and deployment could face compliance costs if the bill progresses. The bill's focus on protecting minors from harmful content and manipulation could lead to increased development costs for age-gating technologies and content moderation systems. Given its early stage, the GUARD Act has a long legislative path ahead. It must first be considered by the Committee on the Judiciary, where it may undergo revisions, hearings, and a committee vote. If approved by the committee, it would then proceed to a vote by the full Senate. Should it pass the Senate, it would then need to be introduced and passed by the House of Representatives before it could be sent to the President for signature. The presence of 18 cosponsors, including bipartisan support from Senators Blumenthal (D-CT) and Warner (D-VA), suggests some legislative momentum, but passage is not guaranteed.