On September 11, 2025, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched an inquiry into seven companies providing consumer-facing AI-powered companion chatbots: Alphabet, Character Technologies, Instagram, Meta Platforms, OpenAI, Snap, and xAI. The FTC is seeking information about safety testing, age restrictions, data practices, and the potential impact of these services on children and teens.

    The inquiry focuses on how companies evaluate and monitor potential harms, enforce age restrictions, inform users and parents about risks, and use personal information obtained through conversations with AI chatbots. It is a study under the FTC’s Section 6(b) authority rather than a finding that the companies violated the law.

Comment from GAME-F

The issue with AI companions is not simply whether they produce harmful answers. It also concerns the relationships children may form with AI that behaves like a human being.

    At the same time, treating conversations with AI as inherently dangerous could unnecessarily restrict the potential benefits of emerging technology. What matters is examining not only age and screen time, but also dependence on AI, real-world relationships, sleep, learning, and everyday functioning. The FTC inquiry marks an important step toward examining not only what AI says to children, but what relationships with AI may mean for their lives.

References

Federal Trade Commission — FTC Launches Inquiry into AI Chatbots Acting as Companions

Federal Trade Commission — AI Companion 6(b) Order