FTC launches inquiry into AI chatbot companions and their effects on children

Source: CBS News/AP

Updated on: September 11, 2025 / 3:46 PM EDT


The Federal Trade Commission has started an inquiry into several social media and artificial intelligence companies, including OpenAI and Meta, about the potential harms to children and teenagers who use their chatbots as companions. On Thursday, the FTC said it has sent letters to Google parent Alphabet, Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms, Snap, Character Technologies, ChatGPT maker OpenAI and xAI.

The FTC said it wants to understand what steps, if any, companies have taken to evaluate the safety of their chatbots when acting as companions, to limit the products' use by and potential negative effects on children and teens, and to apprise users and parents of the risks associated with the chatbots.

The inquiry comes after OpenAI said it plans to make changes to ChatGPT safeguards for vulnerable people, including adding extra protections for those under 18 years old, after the parents of a teen boy who died by suicide in April sued, alleging the artificial intelligence chatbot led their teen to take his own life.

More children are now using AI chatbots for everything — from homework help to personal advice, emotional support and everyday decision-making. That's despite research on the harms of chatbots, which have been shown to give kids dangerous advice about topics such as drugs, alcohol and eating disorders.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ftc-ai-chatbot-inquiry-children-openai-xai-meta-snap-alphabet/