Californias New Chatbot Laws Compliance and Enforcement After the 2025 Session

California's 2025 session produced the nation's first wave of companion chatbot regulation, and attorneys now have to sort out what survived and what it means for clients. SB 243, effective January 1, 2026, is the first companion chatbot law in the country, requiring operators to disclose AI interactions, implement self-harm protocols, block explicit content for minors, and file annual reports, backed by a private right of action. On the same day, Governor Newsom vetoed the more restrictive AB 1064, the LEAD for Kids Act, signaling California's preference for disclosure and safety protocols over outright use bans. Christabel Randolph, Associate Director of the Center for AI and Digital Policy, filed the original CAIDP complaint that helped prompt FTC scrutiny of generative AI. She traces the continuing thread from that complaint through California's new laws. Attendees will learn what each bill requires, why one became law and the other did not, how the state framework compares with federal FTC enforcement, and where chatbot regulation is heading.