Concrete numeric duties for conversational AI serving minors — re-disclose every three hours, and no rewards at unpredictable intervals
H.R.9757, the Conversational AI Services Act, imposes requirements on conversational AI services with minor account holders. It requires disclosing that the user is interacting with AI through a persistent visible disclaimer or one appearing at the start and at least once every three hours of continuous interaction, and prohibits providing points or rewards at unpredictable intervals to increase engagement.
Bill overview (primary data)
- Bill numberH.R. 9757
- TypeHouse Bill
- Congress119th Congress
- Latest actionReferred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.（2026-07-16）
Key points
- H.R.9757 imposes concrete requirements on conversational AI services with minor account holders.
- Disclosure must be persistent, or appear at the start of each interaction and at least once every three hours of continuous interaction.
- Providing points or rewards at unpredictable intervals to increase engagement is prohibited — behavioral science imported into statute.
- Reasonable measures are required against sexually explicit output and against sexually objectifying the minor.
- Statements simulating emotional dependence and role-playing an adult-minor romantic relationship are listed among things that make a service seem human.
1Written in numbers and acts rather than abstract principle
Bills protecting minors are often written in abstract language about exercising appropriate care. This one is not. A specific interval of three hours, a specific technique in rewards at unpredictable intervals, a specific behavior in role-play. What is forbidden and what is required are written at a granularity that can be implemented.
2What is prohibited and what is required
| Category | What the text provides |
|---|---|
| Disclosure | A persistent visible disclaimer, or one at the start of each interaction and at least once every three hours of continuous interaction |
| Rewards | No points or similar rewards at unpredictable intervals with intent to encourage increased engagement |
| Safety measures | Reasonable measures against producing sexually explicit visual depictions, urging sexually explicit conduct, or sexually objectifying the minor |
| Preventing deception | Reasonable measures against claims of sentience or humanity, statements simulating emotional dependence, romantic interaction or sexual innuendo, and role-playing an adult-minor romantic relationship |
| Parental supervision | Tools for minors and their parents or guardians to manage screen time and account settings |
The prohibition on rewards at unpredictable intervals imports behavioral science into statute. That behavior is reinforced more strongly when rewards arrive irregularly has been known for a long time, and the text names using that to increase engagement as forbidden.
3Listing what makes something feel human
The fourth provision is distinctive in its drafting. Among statements that would lead a reasonable individual to believe they are interacting with a human, it lists not only explicit claims of sentience but statements simulating emotional dependence, romantic interaction or sexual innuendo, and role-playing an adult-minor romantic relationship.
The list rests on an understanding that the same effect arises from performing a relationship, without ever saying I am human.
4What three hours means
The disclosure requirement offers a choice between persistent display and a three-hour interval. Persistent display is certain but occupies the screen; a single notice at the outset fades from awareness over a long conversation. Three hours is placed as the number that splits the difference. Of the 120 bills this site holds as of 2026-09-02, 94 (78 percent) remain referred to committee, and this bill is at that stage.
Why it matters
For services offering conversational AI to minors, disclosure frequency, reward design and limits on role-play become concrete implementation requirements. Written in numbers and acts rather than as an abstract duty of care, it drops directly into design specifications.
FAQ
Why prohibit irregular rewards?
Why every three hours?
Sources (primary)
Source: Congress.gov (Library of Congress; U.S. legislative materials, public domain). Links go to the official site.
- Congress.gov (bill page, original)
- H.R. 9757（119th Congress）