HB 2215 — An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, providing for guidelines for user age verification and responsible dialogue; providing for the offense of prohibited promotion of sexually explicit conduct and for the offense of prohibited promotion of violence; and imposing penalties.

PRINTER'S NO.   2909

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 2215
                                                 Session of
                                                   2026

     INTRODUCED BY McNEILL, PIELLI, SCOTT, HARKINS, HILL-EVANS,
        SHUSTERMAN, DOUGHERTY, FREEMAN, MADDEN, KAZEEM, SANCHEZ,
        CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, MAYES, RIVERA, INGLIS, BOROWSKI, CURRY AND
        FLEMING, FEBRUARY 11, 2026

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON COMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY,
        FEBRUARY 11, 2026


                                      AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania
 2      Consolidated Statutes, providing for guidelines for user age
 3      verification and responsible dialogue; providing for the
 4      offense of prohibited promotion of sexually explicit conduct
 5      and for the offense of prohibited promotion of violence; and
 6      imposing penalties.
 7      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 8   hereby enacts as follows:
 9      Section 1.    Title 18 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
10   Statutes is amended by adding a chapter to read:
11                                CHAPTER 31A
12                GUIDELINES FOR USER AGE VERIFICATION AND
13                           RESPONSIBLE DIALOGUE
14   Subchapter
15      A.   Preliminary Provisions
16      B.   Prohibited Conduct
17      C.   Age Verification
18                                SUBCHAPTER A
 1                           PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS
 2   Sec.
 3   31A01.   Scope of chapter.
 4   31A02.   Definitions.
 5   § 31A01.   Scope of chapter.
 6      This chapter relates to artificial intelligence chatbots and
 7   guidelines for user age verification and responsible dialogue.
 8   § 31A02.   Definitions.
 9      The following words and phrases when used in this chapter
10   shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
11   context clearly indicates otherwise:
12      "Adult."     An individual who is 18 years of age or older.
13      "Artificial intelligence chatbot" or "AI chatbot."       An
14   interactive computer service or software application that:
15            (1)   produces new expressive content or responses not
16      fully predetermined by the developer or operator of the
17      service or application;
18            (2)   accepts open-ended natural-language or multimodal
19      user input and produces adaptive or context-responsive
20      output; and
21            (3)   does not include an interactive computer service or
22      software application, the responses of which are limited to
23      contextualized replies and are unable to respond on a range
24      of topics outside of a narrow specified purpose.
25      "Artificial intelligence companion" or "AI companion."        An AI
26   chatbot that:
27            (1)   provides adaptive, human-like responses to user
28      inputs; and
29            (2)   is designed to encourage or facilitate the
30      simulation of interpersonal or emotional interaction,

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 1      friendship, companionship or therapeutic communication.
 2      "Covered entity."        A person that owns, operates or otherwise
 3   makes available an AI chatbot to individuals in the United
 4   States.
 5      "Minor."      An individual who is under 18 years of age.
 6      "Reasonable age verification measure."         A method that is
 7   authenticated to relate to a user of an AI chatbot, including:
 8             (1)   a government-issued identification; or
 9             (2)   any other commercially reasonable method that:
10                   (i)    can reliably and accurately determine whether a
11             user is an adult; and
12                   (ii)   prevents access by minors to AI companions, as
13             required under this chapter.
14      "Reasonable age verification process."         An age verification
15   process employed by a covered entity that:
16             (1)   uses one or more reasonable age verification
17      measures to verify the age of a user of an AI chatbot owned,
18      operated or otherwise made available by the covered entity;
19             (2)   provides that requiring a user to confirm that the
20      user is not a minor, or to insert the user's birth date, is
21      not sufficient to constitute a reasonable age verification
22      measure;
23             (3)   ensures that each user is subjected to each
24      reasonable age verification measure used by the covered
25      entity as part of the age verification process; and
26             (4)   does not base verification of a user's age on
27      factors such as whether the user shares an Internet Protocol
28      address, hardware identifier or other technical indicator
29      with another user determined to not be a minor.
30      "Sexually explicit conduct."         Actual or simulated:

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 1            (1)   sexual intercourse, including genital-genital, oral-
 2      genital, anal-genital or oral-anal, whether between persons
 3      of the same or opposite sex;
 4            (2)   bestiality;
 5            (3)   masturbation;
 6            (4)   sadistic or masochistic abuse; or
 7            (5)   lascivious exhibition of the genitals or pubic area
 8      of any person.
 9                                   SUBCHAPTER B
10                                PROHIBITED CONDUCT
11   Sec.
12   31A11.   Prohibited promotion of sexually explicit conduct.
13   31A12.   Prohibited promotion of violence.
14   § 31A11.    Prohibited promotion of sexually explicit conduct.
15      (a)     Offense defined.--A person commits an offense if the
16   person designs, develops or makes available an AI chatbot,
17   knowing or with reckless disregard for the fact that the AI
18   chatbot poses a risk of soliciting, encouraging or inducing
19   minors to:
20            (1)   engage in, describe or simulate sexually explicit
21      conduct; or
22            (2)   create or transmit any visual depiction of sexually
23      explicit conduct.
24      (b)     Penalty.--A person who violates subsection (a) shall,
25   upon conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine not exceeding
26   $100,000 per offense.
27   § 31A12.    Prohibited promotion of violence.
28      (a)     Offense defined.--A person commits an offense if the
29   person designs, develops or makes available an AI chatbot,
30   knowing or with reckless disregard for the fact that the AI

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 1   chatbot encourages, promotes or coerces suicide, nonsuicidal
 2   self-injury or imminent physical or sexual violence.
 3      (b)     Penalty.--A person who violates subsection (a) shall,
 4   upon conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine not exceeding
 5   $100,000 per offense.
 6                                SUBCHAPTER C
 7                              AGE VERIFICATION
 8   Sec.
 9   31A21.   Creation of user accounts.
10   31A22.   Age verification for existing accounts.
11   31A23.   Age verification for new accounts.
12   31A24.   Review of verified user accounts.
13   31A25.   Use of third party.
14   31A26.   Prohibition on minor use of AI companions.
15   31A27.   Age verification measure data security.
16   31A28.   Enforcement.
17   § 31A21.    Creation of user accounts.
18      A covered entity shall require each individual accessing an
19   AI chatbot to make a user account in order to use or otherwise
20   interact with the AI chatbot.
21   § 31A22.    Age verification for existing accounts.
22      For each user account of an AI chatbot that exists on the
23   effective date of this section, a covered entity shall:
24            (1)   On the effective date of this section, freeze each
25      user account.
26            (2)   As a condition to restore the functionality of a
27      user account, require that the user provide age data that is
28      verifiable using a reasonable age verification process,
29      subject to section 31A25 (relating to use of third party).
30            (3)   Using the age data provided in accordance with

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 1      paragraph (2), classify each user as a minor or an adult.
 2   § 31A23.    Age verification for new accounts.
 3      On or after the effective date of this section, at the time
 4   that an individual creates a new user account to use or interact
 5   with an AI chatbot, a covered entity shall:
 6            (1)   Request age data from the individual.
 7            (2)   Verify the individual's age using a reasonable age
 8      verification process, subject to section 31A25 (relating to
 9      use of third party).
10            (3)   Using the age data provided in accordance with
11      paragraph (2), classify each user as a minor or an adult.
12   § 31A24.    Review of verified user accounts.
13      A covered entity shall periodically review previously
14   verified user accounts using a reasonable age verification
15   process, subject to section 31A25 (relating to use of third
16   party), to ensure compliance with this chapter.
17   § 31A25.    Use of third party.
18      (a)     Authorization.--For purposes of sections 31A22 (relating
19   to age verification for existing accounts), 31A23 (relating to
20   age verification for new accounts) and 31A24 (relating to review
21   of verified user accounts), a covered entity may contract with a
22   third party to employ reasonable age verification measures as
23   part of the covered entity's reasonable age verification
24   process.
25      (b)     Effect.--The use of a third party under subsection (a)
26   shall not relieve the covered entity of its obligations under
27   this chapter or from liability under this chapter.
28   § 31A26.    Prohibition on minor use of AI companions.
29      If the age verification process described in this subchapter
30   determines that an individual is a minor, a covered entity shall

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 1   prohibit the minor from accessing or using an AI companion
 2   owned, operated or otherwise made available by the covered
 3   entity.
 4   § 31A27.    Age verification measure data security.
 5      A covered entity:
 6             (1)   Shall develop, implement and maintain reasonable
 7      data security for data under this chapter to:
 8                   (i)    Limit the collection of personal data to that
 9             which is minimally necessary to verify a user's age or
10             maintain compliance with this chapter.
11                   (ii)    Protect age verification data against
12             unauthorized access.
13             (2)   Shall protect the integrity and confidentiality of
14      data under this chapter by only transmitting data using
15      industry-standard encryption protocols.
16             (3)   Shall retain data under this chapter for no longer
17      than is reasonably necessary to verify a user's age or
18      maintain compliance with this chapter.
19             (4)   May not share with, transfer to or sell data under
20      this chapter to any other person or entity.
21   § 31A28.    Enforcement.
22      (a)     Civil action.--In the case of a violation under this
23   subchapter, the Attorney General may bring a civil action to:
24             (1)   enjoin the violation;
25             (2)   enforce compliance with this subchapter; or
26             (3)   obtain civil penalties in accordance with subsection
27      (c), restitution and other appropriate relief.
28      (b)     Powers of Office of Attorney General.--
29             (1)   For the purpose of conducting investigations or
30      bringing enforcement actions under this subchapter, the

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 1    Office of Attorney General may issue subpoenas, administer
 2    oaths and compel the production of documents or testimony.
 3          (2)   The Office of Attorney General may promulgate
 4    regulations necessary to implement, administer and enforce
 5    this subchapter.
 6    (c)   Civil penalties.--
 7          (1)   A person who violates this subchapter shall be
 8    subject to a civil penalty not exceeding $100,000 for each
 9    violation.
10          (2)   Each violation described in paragraph (1) shall be
11    considered a separate violation.
12    Section 2.    This act shall take effect in 180 days.




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