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1 revisions for "The GUARD Act: Congress Bets Criminal Penalties Can Shield Teens From AI Chatbots — But the Law May Be Fighting the Wrong Battle"

Anonymousabout 3 hours ago

The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously advanced the GUARD Act on April 30, 2026, imposing criminal penalties and age verification mandates on AI chatbot companies following high-profile teen suicide cases linked to Character.AI. While grieving families and advocacy groups hail the bill as overdue, civil liberties organizations warn it raises serious First Amendment problems, and researchers caution that the legislation's framing may obscure the complex clinical reality that most affected teens had preexisting mental health conditions.