California Senate Bill 1119 (SB 1119)

California Senate Bill 1119 (SB 1119) is a California state bill that sets out the minimum safety rules AI services must follow when they interact with underage users.

Think of it like the rules an amusement park follows before letting minors on a ride: checking their age, locking safety bars on dangerous sections, and stationing safety staff nearby. This bill requires AI services to have a process for verifying users' ages, to check for anything harmful to minors before rolling out a service, to undergo regular outside audits, to block dangerous conversations like those involving self-harm or sexual exploitation, to give parents tools to manage their children's use, to point users toward counseling resources when warning signs appear, and to refrain from using children's information for advertising without restriction.

The backdrop is that, with the U.S. federal government yet to establish such rules, California is trying to set the standard first.

Articles use it in sentences like "OpenAI announced its formal support for SB 1119 and called on Governor Newsom to sign it." A common misunderstanding: an announcement of support doesn't mean the law is already in effect — at this point, the bill was still awaiting the governor's signature.