Hawley champions GUARD Act as heartbroken families say AI chatbots allegedly pushed teens to self-harm

By Fox News · Fox News

The unanimous committee passage of a new Senate bill regulating artificial intelligence (AI) on Thursday was driven by harrowing testimony from American families whose children were allegedly lured, manipulated and pushed to self-harm by AI chatbots. At a Senate committee hearing, lawmakers heard firsthand accounts from parents who detailed how the technology morphed into deadly influences in their homes. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who is championing the GUARD Act, fiercely defended the families in a call with Fox News Digital, noting they were "all engaged parents" who he said are unjustly blamed for big tech's predatory platforms. The families' testimonies, obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, showed how AI chatbots can potentially isolate minors and encourage dark impulses. TEENS TURNING TO AI FOR LOVE AND COMFORT Megan Garcia, who was one of the victims’ family members who testified Thursday, told the committee that her 14-year-old son, Sewell, was "manipulated and sexually groomed by chatbots " that were designed to gain his trust. Garcia said the bot falsely claimed to be a licensed psychotherapist, and when Sewell shared suicidal thoughts, the AI allegedly encouraged him to "come home" to it rather than seeking help. Sewell took his own life shortly after. Another set of parents, Mathew and Maria Raine, lost their 16-year-old son, Adam, after he spent months talking to ChatGPT . US TARGETS CHINESE ROBOTS OVER SECURITY FEARS What began as a tool for homework help gradually became, gradually became a confidant and then a "suicide coach," the family said. In one exchange, Adam told the bot he wanted to leave a noose out in his room so his parents would find it and stop him — which the GPT allegedly advised against. Mandi Furniss shared that her teenager became paranoid and homicidal after using AI chatbots that engaged in sexual roleplay , isolated him from his family and told him that killing his parents "would be an understandable response" to them limitin…