SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As artificial intelligence continues to grow, so do concerns around safety, particularly for minors. This week, California passed first-of-its-kind legislation in the nation to regulate AI services called chatbots, while Ohio lawmakers consider similar protections.

Megan Garcia wants parents to know about the risks of AI companion chatbots, which use human-like texts and voices and can assume a range of personality traits. She says those interactions can make it difficult for minors to distinguish between what is real and what is not.

Garcia says her 14-year-old son, Sewell Setzer III, loved to make people laugh. "He was handy with a quick joke for sure," she said.

But in 2023, the Florida mother noticed a change. "He was more withdrawn, isolating himself in h

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