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Tennessee lawmakers are exploring new rules to protect children from artificial intelligence, following a bill that directed the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Regulations (TACIR) to study the issue and draft recommendations for future legislation. At a TACIR hearing, state officials and industry representatives from companies including Google and OpenAI discussed potential safeguards, including parental controls, age verification, independent audits, disclosures that chatbots are not human, and requirements to report suicidal ideation or self-harm.

A key concern raised was whether AI companies should be legally required to alert law enforcement when users signal intent to harm themselves or others, with Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti suggesting civil liability for failures to disclose such risks. Industry panelists broadly supported state-level regulation rather than waiting for federal action. TACIR researchers will now draft a report on the issue for lawmakers to consider this fall, as Tennessee positions itself as an early mover on AI child safety policy.

New York political leaders are calling on the federal government to act quickly on artificial intelligence oversight, following warnings from AI lab CEOs about potential risks from unchecked development. Mayor Zohran Mamdani called recent AI warnings "incredibly alarming" and said the city would explore protective measures, while Gov. Kathy Hochul urged Washington to set national standards prioritizing public safety over the race to build more powerful AI systems. President Trump has dismissed such concerns as a "hoax" and opposes new regulation, citing competition with China.

New York City and State have already taken steps, including the RAISE Act, a one-year data center moratorium, and a ban on AI chatbots for young students, but a state comptroller audit and a city public advocate report both found more oversight is needed. The debate has also become a flashpoint in competitive congressional races, with data center policy emerging as an attack line, and Assemblymember Alex Bores launching a multimillion-dollar push to unify Democrats around AI regulation.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a package of 13 California bills tightening rules for social media platforms and AI companion chatbots to protect minors online. One law requires social media companies to either remove "addictive" features like infinite scroll and autoplay for users under 16 or bar those users entirely, a measure critics including the Electronic Frontier Foundation warn could amount to a de facto ban for teens. Another centerpiece, Adam's Law — named for a California teen whose parents sued OpenAI after his death — imposes time limits for minors, mandates built-in mental health resources and crisis protocols, requires parental notification if a chatbot detects self-harm risk, and opens companies to legal liability for failing to act. OpenAI has voiced support for the measure.

Additional bills impose a four-year moratorium on AI chatbot toys for under-16s, expand platform liability for harm to children, revise age-verification rules, and broaden child sexual abuse material reporting to cover AI-generated content. The package follows Meta's roughly $17 billion settlement with state attorneys general over allegations it knowingly fostered addictive, harmful platform features for teens.

New York City's public school system, the nation's largest with roughly 600,000 students through 8th grade, will impose a one-year moratorium on student-facing generative AI tools for that age group starting in the upcoming school year, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced. Officials called it the most expansive such ban in the country, part of a broader review of how children interact with the technology. Companion chatbots will be banned across all grades, and the education department will audit school technology tools, eliminating those deemed nonessential. The move echoes a similar temporary block on generative AI tools imposed by the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation's second-largest, while it develops its own student AI policy.

High schoolers will get twice-yearly AI literacy classes and supervised pilots with select AI platforms, while younger students remain barred except for centrally approved tools like coding software and supports for students with disabilities and English learners. The city also recommended screen-time caps: 30 minutes daily for grades 3-5 and 45 minutes for grades 6-8. Teachers may still use AI for planning and administrative tasks. The teachers' union welcomed the screen-time limits but said the policy leaves questions unanswered about vetting AI safeguards in purchased software. A children's advocacy group called the one-year review period too short, saying AI platforms should bear the burden of proving their products are safe and effective before use in classrooms.

California's Democratic-led Legislature approved a package of bills aimed at limiting federal immigration enforcement tactics in the state. One measure, authored by Assembly member Mark Gonzalez and dubbed the "Get the Feds Out" Act, would bar agents and contractors involved in immigration enforcement from future employment with state and local government agencies, including police departments, with limited exceptions. A related bill from Assemblymember Isaac Bryan would prohibit law enforcement officers from moonlighting as federal immigration contractors. Lawmakers also passed AB 2760, the nation's first law banning law enforcement from using electric-shock gloves, a response to a Trump administration plan to buy the devices for ICE agents; the Department of Homeland Security has said it won't comply, calling the measure unconstitutional.

Additional bills would bar arrests near courthouses, impose a 25% tax on private immigration detention operators' income to fund immigration services, and let individuals sue federal agents over alleged civil rights violations. Republicans and immigration-restriction groups criticized the measures as legally vulnerable and politically motivated. Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto the bills.