As reported by The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg Law, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) plans to study the impact of AI-powered chatbots on children’s mental health. According to those familiar with the matter, the study will focus on privacy harms and other risks to people who interact with AI chatbots. The FTC allegedly plans to seek information from the nine largest providers of consumer AI chatbots regarding how data collected by the chatbots is stored and the dangers posed by AI chatbot use. The FTC will conduct the study pursuant to its authority under Section 6(b) of the FTC Act to compel companies to turn over information to help the agency better understand a particular market or technology.

The FTC has not responded to requests for comment about the study. The study underscores the agency’s stated enforcement focus on children’s privacy.