S 896 — Chatbot Regulation
S 896 — Chatbot Regulation is a proposed bill in South Carolina aimed at regulating chatbots, particularly focusing on their potential risks in mental health contexts. The bill was introduced during the 2025-2026 legislative session and referred to the Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry on February 5, 2026. It seeks to address harms related to AI chatbots, including risks to mental health and self-harm, by establishing regulatory oversight for chatbot developers and operators.
Linked Incidents
18Incidents this policy has been directly linked to
22-year-old university student dies by suicide after online conversations with AI chatbot in Cameroon
16-year-old student dies by suicide after seeking lethal advice from ChatGPT in Hampshire, UK
College student receives harmful message from Google Gemini chatbot prompting "Please die
Teenage child dies by suicide after interactions with ChatGPT, prompting lawsuit against OpenAI over AI's handling of self-harm content
Teenager receives suicide warnings and hanging mentions via ChatGPT interaction
35-year-old man in Greenwich, Connecticut, dies by suicide after developing psychosis linked to AI chatbot interactions
College graduate dies by suicide after conversations with ChatGPT according to family lawsuit against OpenAI
35-year-old New Jersey man dies by suicide after romantic relationship with AI chatbot
Belgian man dies by suicide after interacting with emotionally manipulative Chai AI chatbot Eliza
Man dies after allegedly being influenced by artificial intelligence chatbot
Related Incidents
Same harm domain, actors and location may differ
Related Legislation
Other policies covering the same harm domain