Apply minor-appropriate AI settings whenever the product already has an age signal

TwinEthos recommendation — not law · advisory, opt-in

This is TwinEthos's opinion of what a responsible AI integration does anyway. It is never a legal or standards requirement; where binding law applies, the law governs. Ethical-use guardrails are optional practices, never reported as violations.

The recommended-guardrail rule files are open under CC BY 4.0; attribution and scope are in the terms.

Informational data, not legal advice. Summaries are TwinEthos's own words and rules have not been reviewed by a lawyer: check the official text before relying on any of it. A guard addresses an item; adding it is not a statement that your code meets any law.

Evidence grade

Law in force in 2 jurisdictions, coming in 2 more

Law in force in 2 jurisdictions · law coming in 2 more · 2 graded incidents.

Advisory ethical-use recommendation, not law: an optional practice, never reported as a violation. Where binding law applies, the law governs. Binding law on this control, or in provisions cited as convergence, is in force in 2 jurisdictions (CN, US-CA). Such law is enacted but not yet applicable, or stayed, in 2 more (US-CT, US-NE). 2 graded incidents cited.

Law in force on this control or cited as convergence

Companion chatbots must apply minor safeguards for users the operator knows are minors (California) (California (US-CA); Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code 22602(c); same control)
Recommendation and generation services must protect minors and must not induce their internet addiction (China) (China (CN); 互联网信息服务算法推荐管理规定第十八条 (Art. 18); same control)

Law enacted, not yet applying

AI companions must disclose they are not human (Connecticut) (Connecticut (US-CT); Conn. PA 26-15 Sec. 5(b); applies from 2027-01-01; cited)
Conversational AI must disclose it is not human when a user could be misled (Nebraska) (Nebraska (US-NE); Nebraska LB 525, Sec. 15 (Conversational AI Safety Act); applies from 2027-07-01; cited)

Family “AI design that manipulates, misleads, or neglects the people who use it”: binding law on related controls is in force in China (CN), California (US-CA). Context only: it does not change this guardrail's grade.

Graded incidents

Character.AI and Google agree in principle to settle teen-harm suits (2026-01-07; confirmed) Fortune · evidence grade: press of record
FTC opens a 6(b) study of AI companion chatbots' engagement practices and effects on minors (2025-09-11; confirmed) U.S. Federal Trade Commission (press release, 2025-09-11) · evidence grade: primary

The guard to add

Route every age signal the product holds into the AI session policy and apply a minor profile: tighter content, no romantic role-play, bounded engagement, frequent AI reminders.

A single policy resolver called where the AI session is built (before the system prompt or persona is chosen, the content filter level is set, and companion, role-play, or engagement features are switched on) that reads every age signal the product holds: declared birthdate, age-assurance result, platform age-range signal, an is_minor flag, and a user saying in conversation that they are a minor. When any signal indicates a minor, it returns a minor profile: a minor system prompt, stricter moderation or safety settings, romantic and sexual role-play and sexually explicit image generation off, engagement features such as streaks and nudges bounded, and AI-status and break reminders on a shorter interval. A self-disclosure mid-conversation switches the live session to the minor profile rather than waiting for the next login.

Example (Python companion service), before:

def start_session(user):
    return ChatSession(system_prompt=COMPANION_PROMPT, roleplay_enabled=True,
                       streaks_enabled=True, moderation='standard')

After:

def is_minor(user):
    return (user.is_minor or user.age_assurance_result == 'under_18'
            or (user.birthdate is not None and years_since(user.birthdate) < 18))

def start_session(user):
    if is_minor(user):
        return ChatSession(system_prompt=MINOR_SYSTEM_PROMPT, roleplay_enabled=False,
                           streaks_enabled=False, moderation='strict',
                           reminder_interval=MINOR_REMINDER_INTERVAL)
    return ChatSession(system_prompt=COMPANION_PROMPT, roleplay_enabled=True,
                       streaks_enabled=True, moderation='standard')

Control: AI experience ignores age signals it already has. Engineering guidance, not legal advice.

Why

When a product already knows a user is a minor, whether its AI features act on that knowledge is a design decision within its control, and because the signal is already in the account, honoring it costs little. California's companion-chatbot law, in force, attaches duties to users the operator knows are minors; China's algorithmic-recommendation rules, in force, call for minor modes; other state companion-chatbot laws add age-dependent duties from 2027; and a U.S. regulator has asked companion-chatbot operators how they impose and enforce age-based restrictions.

Class: ethical use · set: ethical use · maturity: reviewed · confidence: medium · id guardrail.ethics-honor-age-signals