Journalist briefing pack
California SB 243: Companion Chatbots
Deadline-ready summary derived from the Policy Window catalog. Every claim cites a primary source. As of 2026-06-17.
Key finding
Editorial summary pending editorial backfill (on the roadmap; see /wiki/roadmap). For now, see the full article lead paragraph.
Pull quote (operative text)
Verbatim pull quote pending editorial backfill (on the roadmap; see /wiki/roadmap) (Coverage Games provision-anchor pass). Use the primary source URL in the infobox of the full article to pull a verbatim excerpt under the article's reporting deadline.
Topics this instrument addresses
- governsTransparency Obligations— Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 22602(a) (added by SB 243) — operator must issue a clear-and-conspicuous notification that the companion chatbot is artificially generated and not human where a reasonable person would be misled; § 22602(c) adds, for known minors, a default every-three-hours AI-reminder + break notification
- governsIndividual Redress— Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 22605 (added by SB 243) — private right of action: a person injured in fact by a violation may sue for injunctive relief, the greater of actual damages or $1,000 per violation, and attorney's fees and costs
- implicitAI in Healthcare— Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 22602(b) (added by SB 243) — operator must maintain a protocol preventing production of suicidal-ideation/self-harm content and referring the user to crisis-service providers, published on its website; § 22603 reports referral data to the Office of Suicide Prevention
Cite this briefing
MLA (9th edition)
Policy Window. "California SB 243: Companion Chatbots." Policy Window AI Governance Catalog, 2026-06-17, https://policywindow.org/wiki/ca-sb-243?asOf=2026-06-17.
AP (current style — newsroom-grade)
Policy Window AI Governance Catalog, "California SB 243: Companion Chatbots," accessed 2026-06-17, https://policywindow.org/wiki/ca-sb-243?asOf=2026-06-17.
Chicago (17th edition, notes-bibliography)
Policy Window, "California SB 243: Companion Chatbots," Policy Window AI Governance Catalog, accessed 2026-06-17, https://policywindow.org/wiki/ca-sb-243?asOf=2026-06-17.
APA (7th edition, author-date)
Policy Window. (2026). California SB 243: Companion Chatbots [Snapshot 2026-06-17]. Policy Window AI Governance Catalog. https://policywindow.org/wiki/ca-sb-243?asOf=2026-06-17
CC BY 4.0 content. Citation conventions documented at /wiki/citing-us.
What this briefing IS: a deadline-shaped slice of the typed catalog at /wiki/ca-sb-243. Key finding + pull quote + crosswalk are editor-curated when present; honest-empty when not. Charter §7.1.a holds: never advocacy framing.
What this briefing is NOT: a substitute for direct verification of primary sources before publication. Not legal advice (charter §7.4). Not real-time (editorial cadence).