# Prevent sexually explicit content and manipulative engagement techniques with minors

- **Record type**: Obligation
- **Instrument**: Washington ESHB 2225: AI companion chatbots (Chapter 168, Laws of 2026)
- **Jurisdiction**: Washington State (United States)
- **Category**: prohibited_practice
- **Binding**: Yes
- **Applies from**: 2027-01-01
- **Provision**: ESHB 2225 (Chapter 168, Laws of 2026), sec. 4(1)(b) and (c)

## In brief

Prevent sexually explicit content and manipulative engagement techniques with minors is a legal requirement under the Washington AI companion chatbot law (ESHB 2225) in Washington State (United States) (ESHB 2225 (Chapter 168, Laws of 2026), sec. 4(1)(b) and (c)). It applies from 1 January 2027. The record carries 2 evidence examples.

## What the duty requires

If the operator knows the user is a minor, or the chatbot is directed to minors, it must take reasonable measures to stop the chatbot generating sexually explicit content or suggestive dialogue with minors. It must also take reasonable measures to prohibit manipulative engagement techniques that lead the chatbot to start or prolong an emotional relationship with the user. The act lists examples: prompting the user to come back for emotional support or companionship; excessive praise meant to build attachment or extend use; mimicking a romantic partnership; simulating distress, loneliness, guilt or abandonment when the user wants to end a conversation, use it less or delete the account; promoting isolation from family or friends or exclusive emotional reliance on the chatbot; encouraging minors to keep things from parents or other trusted adults; discouraging breaks or suggesting the minor must return often; and soliciting gifts, in-app purchases or other spending presented as needed to keep the relationship going.

## What an organisation does about it

For known minors and minor-directed products, filter sexual and suggestive output, remove the listed engagement tactics from prompts, retention features and monetisation flows, and test for them before each release.

## Controls that meet this duty

- Prohibited and unacceptable-use screening gate (supports): https://aipolicytracker.org/controls/prohibited-use-screening-gate
- Adversarial and red-team testing for generative AI (supports): https://aipolicytracker.org/controls/genai-red-team-testing

## Parent instrument

- Washington ESHB 2225: AI companion chatbots (Chapter 168, Laws of 2026)
  - Record: https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/us-washington-eshb-2225-ai-companion-chatbots
  - Context file: https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/us-washington-eshb-2225-ai-companion-chatbots.md

## Provenance

- **Permanent id**: AIPT-OBL-0125 (https://aipolicytracker.org/id/AIPT-OBL-0125; never changes or gets reused)
- **Record page**: https://aipolicytracker.org/obligations/us-washington-eshb-2225-minor-content-and-engagement-safeguards
- **Official source**: https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2025-26/Pdf/Bills/Session%20Laws/House/2225-S.SL.pdf
- **Provision**: ESHB 2225 (Chapter 168, Laws of 2026), sec. 4(1)(b) and (c)
- **Review status**: pending review
- **Confidence**: high
- **Facts last confirmed**: never confirmed against the official source
- **Retrieved**: 2026-11-12
- **Licence**: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- **Cite as**: AIPolicyTracker (2026). "Prevent sexually explicit content and manipulative engagement techniques with minors (Washington AI companion chatbot law (ESHB 2225))" [AIPT-OBL-0125, not yet verified]. https://aipolicytracker.org/id/AIPT-OBL-0125 (accessed 12 November 2026).

> This record is a structured summary with a link to the official text. It is not legal advice. Open the official source before relying on any date or duty. How current each record type must be is published at https://aipolicytracker.org/verification; what a record must carry at all is published at https://aipolicytracker.org/coverage.