California Enacts SB 867, Banning Toys With Companion Chatbots Until 2031

Senate Bill 867 (Padilla) was approved by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State on September 10, 2026 as Chapter 189, Statutes of 2026. It amends Business and Professions Code Section 22601 to define a toy as a physical product designed, marketed, or manufactured for play by children under 16, and adds Section 22604.5, which prohibits manufacturing, selling, exchanging, or offering for sale to a retailer a toy that includes a companion chatbot. Violations carry the same civil liability as the SB 243 companion chatbot chapter, and the prohibition is repealed on January 1, 2031. It carries no urgency clause or special operative date, so it takes effect January 1, 2027 under California's default rule for statutes enacted in a regular session. Chaptered text retrieved 2026-10-12.

Related: California SB 243 (Companion Chatbots)

Source: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov