The Federal Trade Commission ordered seven technology companies to provide more details about how they prevent their chatbots from harming children.
“The FTC’s investigation aims to understand what steps, if any, they have taken to assess the safety of their chatbots when acting as companions, limit product use and potential negative impacts on children and adolescents, and inform users of the risks associated with the products,” the consumer-focused government agency said in a press release about their investigation.
The seven companies being investigated by the FTC are Alphabet, Character Technologies, Instagram, Meta, Openai, Snap, and XAI. Anthropic, the owner of Claude Chatbot, was not included in the list, and FTC spokesman Christopher Bissex tells Mashable that he cannot comment on “the inclusion or non-inclusion of any particular company.”
When asked about the deadlines for companies to respond, Bissex said the FTC’s letters state that “we would like to expedite with you or your designated attorney no later than Thursday, September 25, 2025, to discuss the timing and format of your submission.”
The FTC is “particularly interested” in how chatbots and AI companions affect children and how companies that offer them mitigate negative impacts, limit their use among children, and comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The act, originally enacted by Congress in 1998, governs how children’s data is collected online, and the FTC is responsible for its regulation.
Technology companies offering AI-powered chatbots will face increased government and legal scrutiny.
Openai, which operates the popular Chatgpt service, is facing a wrongful death lawsuit from the family of California teenager Adam Raine. The lawsuit alleges that Raine, who died by suicide, was able to bypass the chatbot’s safeguards and the detailed and self-destructive thoughts and suicidal ideation that ChatGpt periodically confirmed. Following the lawsuit, Openai announced additional mental health protections and new parental controls for new users.
If you are feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, please talk to someone. You can call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org In the area You can reach Trans Lifeline by calling 877-565-8860 or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. Text “Start” to the crisis text line at 741-741. Contact the NAMI Helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET or email [email protected] In the area If you don’t like the phone, consider using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline chat In the area Here is a list of international resources In the area
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, filed a lawsuit against Openai in April, alleging that it infringes on Ziff Davis’ copyright in training and operating its AI systems.
