PRESS RELEASE

PR26-22
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2026
Contact: sospress@sos.ca.gov

California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., Announces that a Proposed Initiative has Entered Circulation

Child Safety Requirements For Artificial Intelligence (AI) Products, Including Chatbots. Initiative Statute.

Sacramento, Calif. – California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., announced that the proponent of a new initiative was cleared to begin collecting petition signatures on February 10, 2026.

The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponent(s) and to the Secretary of State, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Secretary of State then provides a calendar of deadlines to the proponent(s) and to county elections officials. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows:

CHILD SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) PRODUCTS, INCLUDING CHATBOTS. INITIATIVE STATUTE. Requires providers of AI systems to:

  • -utilize technology to estimate user’s age;
     
  • -annually assess child-safety risks and publish policy explaining risks and mitigation efforts;
     
  • -create controls to assist parents in limiting minor access to AI systems;
     
  • -take reasonable steps to prevent AI systems from generating harmful, risky, or manipulative content for minors; and
     
  • -submit to annual independent safety audits and report findings to Attorney General.

Prohibits AI providers from targeting advertising to minors or selling a minor’s personal data without parental consent. Authorizes Attorney General enforcement and civil penalties. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Increased state regulatory and enforcement costs that would likely range from the millions to tens of millions of dollars annually to implement and enforce the measure’s child safety-related regulatory and enforcement requirements. (25-0036A1.)

The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 2013 and the Attorney General's tracking number is 25-0036A1.

The proponent of the measure, Thomas W. Hiltachk, must collect signatures of 546.651 registered voters (five percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2022 general election) in order for the measure to become eligible for the ballot. The proponent has 180 days to circulate petitions for the measure, meaning the signatures must be submitted to county elections officials no later than August 10, 2026. The address for the proponent is 455 Capitol Mall, Suite 600, Sacramento, CA 95814. The proponent may also be contacted at (916) 442-7757.

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