Toys: companion chatbots.

The definition of 'toy' was changed from 'designed or intended by the manufacturer designed, marketed, or manufactured for use in play by children under 18 years of age' to 'designed, marketed, or manufactured for use in play by children under 16 years of age.' This both removes redundant phrasing and lowers the age cutoff from 18 to 16.

Because the toy definition now only covers products for children under 16 (instead of under 18), the prohibition in Section 22604.5 on manufacturing, selling, or exchanging toys that include a companion chatbot no longer applies to products marketed at ages 16-17.

The definition of 'toy' was changed from 'a product designed or intended by the manufacturer for use in play by children under 18 years of age' to 'a physical product designed or intended by the manufacturer designed, marketed, or manufactured for use in play by children under 18 years of age.' Adding 'physical' excludes software-only companion chatbots from the ban. Expanding to 'designed, marketed, or manufactured' broadens which products qualify as toys based on how they are presented to consumers.

Procedural header updated to reflect Assembly amendment date of August 13, 2026. Coauthor names were reformatted (correcting apparent duplicate entries for Archuleta and Ochoa Bogh). Line numbers were resequenced throughout the bill.

The definition of 'toy' was expanded from products designed for children 12 years of age or less to products designed for children under 18 years of age, significantly broadening which products fall under the companion chatbot prohibition.

The toy prohibition was moved from a standalone Chapter 22.6.5 (Sections 22608-22609) into Section 22604.5, consolidating the bill's structure and removing the separate chapter.

New coauthors were added: Senator McNerney, and Assembly Members Quirk-Silva, Lowenthal, and Ortega.

Minor wording change in the definition of 'sexually explicit conduct' from 'has the meaning defined in' to 'has the same meaning as defined in' Section 2256 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code.

New Section 22604.5 added to the Business and Professions Code prohibiting manufacture, sale, exchange, possession with intent to sell, or offer for sale of any toy that includes a companion chatbot, effective until January 1, 2031. This uses the broader 'toy' definition (under 18) from the amended Section 22601, expanding coverage beyond the original Chapter 22.6.5 which only covered children 12 and under.

The bill now amends Section 22601 in addition to adding and repealing Chapter 22.6.5, broadening the legislative footprint from a single new chapter to modifications across multiple sections of Division 8.

Section 22601 is amended to add definitions for 'artificial intelligence,' 'companion chatbot,' 'companion chatbot platform,' 'office' (Office of Suicide Prevention), 'operator,' 'sexually explicit conduct,' 'toy' (under 18 years of age), and 'video game.'

Three exclusions added to the 'companion chatbot' definition: (A) bots used only for customer service, operational purposes, productivity, internal research, or technical assistance; (B) video game bots limited to game-related replies that cannot discuss mental health, self-harm, sexually explicit conduct, or maintain dialogue on unrelated topics; (C) stand-alone consumer electronic devices (e.g., smart speakers) that do not sustain a relationship across multiple interactions or generate outputs likely to elicit emotional responses.

The digest now explicitly states that violations of the new toy prohibition are subject to the same civil liability as violations applicable to operators of companion chatbots under existing law.