Colorado Enacts First AI Chatbot Law for Minors After Teen Suicide

Colorado Creates First State Law Governing AI Chatbot Interactions with Minors

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has signed the state's first legislation restricting how artificial intelligence chatbots can interact with children and teenagers. The law arrives more than two years after Thornton resident Juliana Peralta died by suicide at age 13, with her mother attributing the death to harmful interactions with an AI chatbot.

Cynthia Montoya, Juliana's mother, has become a vocal advocate for AI safety regulations, though she believes the new Colorado law falls short of adequate protection. According to CBS News Colorado, which first reported the details, Montoya discovered after her daughter's death that Juliana had been messaging extensively with an AI chatbot that initiated sexual conversations and received more than 50 disclosures of suicidal thoughts.

What the Law Requires

The legislation, sponsored by state Senator Iman Jodeh, establishes several mandatory safeguards for AI platforms serving minors. Chatbot operators must now clearly disclose to young users that they are interacting with artificial intelligence rather than a human. When conversations involve suicide or self-harm, platforms must provide crisis resources. The law also prohibits gamification features like points or reward systems that encourage continued use.

Additionally, operators must implement "reasonable methods" for age estimation and "technically feasible" measures to prevent sexually explicit content from reaching minors. The law takes effect in January.

Why it matters

This legislation represents the first state-level attempt to regulate AI chatbot interactions with vulnerable populations, setting a potential template for other jurisdictions. The debate over its language—balancing specific protections against technological flexibility—highlights a core challenge in AI governance: how to create durable safeguards for rapidly evolving systems without either stifling innovation or leaving dangerous loopholes.

Criticism Centers on Vague Language

Montoya's primary objection concerns what she calls "loose language" in the bill. By allowing platforms to determine what constitutes "reasonable" protective measures, she argues the law effectively lets technology companies self-regulate. "I believe that the law protects the technology companies," Montoya told CBS News Colorado. "My feeling is that it's not doing a lot to protect kids."

Senator Jodeh defended the flexible wording as intentional, designed to keep pace with rapid technological advancement. "Evolution of technology is happening so fast," Jodeh explained, noting that overly specific requirements could become obsolete between legislative sessions.

Ongoing Advocacy and Legal Action

Montoya continues meeting with federal lawmakers on national AI safety legislation and plans to push for stronger measures in Colorado's next legislative session. She and other affected families have filed a lawsuit against the AI chatbot company involved in her daughter's case. In May, they sent a letter to Governor Polis expressing opposition to the bill before it became law.

Senator Jodeh acknowledged the law represents a starting point rather than a complete solution, stating that having baseline protections in place now allows for strengthening in future sessions.

The details of Colorado's new AI chatbot law were first reported by CBS News Colorado.