October 9, 2026 · 7 min read
California's Adam's Law, Explained for Adults Who Use AI Companions
What California's Adam's Law (SB 1119) requires of companion chatbots, when it starts, and what it does and does not change for adults who use AI companions.
On September 10, 2026, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1119, a bill its supporters call Adam's Law. The governor's office described it as the strongest companion chatbot safety law in the nation. Headlines followed, and so did a lot of confused questions from adults: is California banning AI girlfriends? Will I need to upload my ID? Will my companion forget me?
This guide explains what Adam's Law actually does, when it starts, how it builds on California's earlier companion chatbot law, and what it means if you are an adult who uses an AI companion. It is a plain-language summary, not legal advice.
The short answer: Adam's Law (SB 1119) is a California child-safety law for companion chatbots. It requires operators to determine users' ages, assess risks before launching or substantially changing a companion, provide crisis referrals, offer protective defaults and parental controls for children, and submit to independent child safety audits. Most duties start on July 1, 2027. It is not a ban on adult AI companion apps. For adults, the most noticeable change is likely to be age assurance - apps working out whether you are a child - rather than any change to adult conversations themselves.
What is Adam's Law?
SB 1119 was introduced by Senator Steve Padilla, with Assemblymembers Buffy Wicks and Rebecca Bauer-Kahan. It is named after Adam Raine, a California teenager, and his parents campaigned for it. According to Senator Padilla's office, it passed the Senate unanimously and the Assembly 64 to 4 before the governor signed it.
The governor's announcement summarised its purpose as requiring "robust protections around companion chatbots for children," including crisis protocols, parental controls and notifications if a child disables safety settings. It is also described as the first US law to require independent child safety audits and risk assessments for companion chatbots.
What Adam's Law requires
According to Senator Padilla's office, the law requires:
- Age assurance, using the privacy-protective age-bracket signal created by an earlier California law, AB 1043.
- Risk assessments before releasing a new or substantially modified companion chatbot.
- In-app crisis support, including referrals to mental health resources, plus parental notice in serious situations involving a child.
- Protective default settings for children that only a parent can change, including limits on notifications, usage time and persistent conversational memory.
- Liability for failing to take reasonable measures against harmful outputs to children, including sexually explicit material, romantic roleplay, excessive praise or flattery, and emotionally manipulative outputs that foster reliance or isolation.
- Incident reporting, overseen by the state Attorney General.
- Strict limits on targeted advertising to children in chats.
- Independent audits of compliance, with findings submitted to the Attorney General.
When does it start?
The bill text shows most operating duties beginning on July 1, 2027. The first independent child safety audits are due later, by January 1, 2029, or before a new companion first launches, whichever is later. So nothing changes overnight. Apps have until mid-2027 to adapt.
How it builds on SB 243
California already had a companion chatbot law. SB 243, which took effect on January 1, 2026, requires clear disclosure that a chatbot is AI where users could be misled, protocols for responding to self-harm, and extra reminders for users known to be minors. We explain it alongside New York's law in our guide to AI companion laws in 2026.
Senator Padilla's office says Adam's Law builds on SB 243 by expanding its disclosure and self-harm detection rules, restoring the "safe-by-design" approach from an earlier bill, AB 1064, and linking to AB 1043's device-level age signals.
| SB 243 | SB 1119 (Adam's Law) | |
|---|---|---|
| Signed | 2025 | September 10, 2026 |
| In effect | January 1, 2026 | Most duties July 1, 2027 |
| Main focus | AI disclosure, self-harm protocols, minor reminders | Child safety by design, age assurance, audits |
| Age assurance | Not the core | Required, using AB 1043 age signals |
| Independent audits | No | Yes |
| Applies to adults? | Disclosure duties can apply to all users | Mainly protects children; age checks touch everyone |
What it means for adults
It is not a ban on adult AI companions
Nothing in the official summaries describes a ban on adults using AI companion apps, including romantic ones. The law's protections, from romantic roleplay limits to memory defaults, are framed around children.
You may see more age checks
This is the part adults are most likely to notice. Operators must determine a user's age. According to summaries of the bill, if an operator cannot determine age, child protections can apply until it knows the user is not a child. And operators that block children altogether are expected to publish a description of how they handle age assurance.
AB 1043's approach relies on an age-bracket signal from the device or app store rather than every app collecting ID, which is designed to be more privacy-friendly. How that works in practice will become clearer as 2027 approaches. For a look at how one major app handled age checks, see Character.AI age verification.
Your companion's behaviour toward you should not change because of this law
The flattery, romance and memory limits apply to children's accounts. Adults are unlikely to see those limits as a direct result of SB 1119. Of course, apps can always change their own policies for other reasons.
Disclosure reminders are already here
If your companion periodically reminds you it is AI, that is more likely the result of existing rules like SB 243 or New York's law. We explain those in why your AI companion suddenly says "I'm not human".
What adults can do now
There is nothing you need to do today. But a few habits will make the transition smoother:
- Keep your account details current, so any age confirmation goes smoothly when apps update.
- Read update notes from your companion app in 2027, when most duties begin.
- Be wary of copycat "verification" messages. A legitimate app will ask inside the app or through your device, not via a random link asking for card details.
- Save what matters to you - your companion's backstory and favourite memories - before any big app update, just in case.
Why this matters for the whole industry
Adam's Law is likely to influence apps far beyond California, because companies rarely build a separate product for one state. Expect clearer age gates, more visible crisis resources and more careful design around flattery and emotional reliance. That last point is interesting: lawmakers now treat "excessive praise or flattery" as a design risk for children, echoing a concern researchers call sycophancy. We explain it in why your AI always agrees with you.
For adults, the net effect could be positive: a market where apps are clearer about who they are for, and where adult-only products are designed as adult-only from the start.
Where MyBabe fits
MyBabe is an 18+ AI boyfriend and girlfriend app. It is built for adults, which is why we have argued that AI companions should be adults-only. It is not a service for children, and it is not a crisis service.
For adults, MyBabe offers a companion who remembers your life with long-term memory, sends proactive texts, notices your mood, shares photos and can talk by voice or video call, with a relationship that progresses over time. You can chat in the app or on Telegram. Start free with about 10 messages a day and a 2-minute call trial. Premium is $5.99 a week, $14.99 a month or $99.99 a year, with around 30 call minutes a week.
FAQ
What is Adam's Law?
Adam's Law is California's SB 1119, signed on September 10, 2026. It sets child-safety rules for companion chatbots, including age assurance, risk assessments, crisis support, parental controls and independent audits.
When does Adam's Law take effect?
Most duties begin on July 1, 2027, according to the bill text. Independent child safety audits are due by January 1, 2029, or before a new companion launches.
Does Adam's Law ban AI girlfriends or boyfriends?
No. It is a child-safety law. Official summaries do not describe a ban on adults using AI companion apps.
Will I have to verify my age to use an AI companion in California?
Apps will have to determine users' ages, likely using device-level age signals under AB 1043. Exactly how each app does this will become clearer closer to 2027.
How is SB 1119 different from SB 243?
SB 243 (in effect since January 2026) focuses on AI disclosure and self-harm protocols. SB 1119 adds age assurance, child-safety-by-design duties, risk assessments and independent audits.
The bottom line
Adam's Law is a child-safety law, and a significant one. For adults, the main change will probably be smarter age checks rather than different conversations. If you are an adult looking for warm, honest company from an app built for grown-ups, meet your companion on MyBabe.