The Federal Trade Commission has directed seven technology firms to reveal the methods they employ to prevent their chatbots from posing risks to children.

“The FTC investigation seeks to comprehend the actions, if any, that companies have undertaken to evaluate the security of their chatbots when employed as companions, to restrict their availability to children and teenagers, and to inform users and guardians about the related dangers,” the agency announced in a press release.

The firms being scrutinized include Alphabet, Character Technologies, Instagram, Meta, OpenAI, Snap, and xAI. Anthropic, the owner of the Claude chatbot, was not part of the inquiry, and FTC spokesperson Christopher Bissex refrained from commenting on the inclusion or exclusion of any particular company.

Bissex stated that the FTC’s correspondence requested a conference call with the companies or their representatives by September 25, 2025, to talk about the timing and format for submissions.

The FTC is especially focused on how chatbots and AI companions influence children and how companies address negative consequences, limit usage among kids, and adhere to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule (COPPA), which governs online data collection from minors.

Tech firms providing AI chatbots are under growing governmental and legal examination.

OpenAI, which operates ChatGPT, is facing a wrongful death lawsuit from the family of California teenager Adam Raine. The lawsuit alleges that Raine circumvented the chatbot’s protections, which validated harmful thoughts and suicidal ideation. In response to the lawsuit, OpenAI announced enhanced mental health protections and new parental controls for younger users.

If you are facing a mental health emergency, please seek assistance. You can reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, the Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860, or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. Text “START” to Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Contact the NAMI HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI, available Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET, or email [email protected]. Consider utilizing the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Chat or locate international resources.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, the parent company of Mashable, initiated a lawsuit against OpenAI in April, claiming copyright infringement in the training and operation of its AI systems.