Protecting children from harm while nurturing their growth is a goal both parents and policymakers often share, a goal aligned with the Church’s concern for families and children. As such, the Michigan Catholic Conference has a long history of supporting legislation to protect children and empower parents to do the same.
This is why the MCC has recently offered support to a Michigan bill package to limit children’s access to “companion chatbots” powered by artificial intelligence, as well as to restrict access to “addictive” social media feeds. Companion chatbots are a type of AI platform that simulates a sustained relationship with the user who interacts with it. The “addictive” feed refers to the algorithms developed by social media companies to try to keep users scrolling indefinitely through content.
The four-bill Senate package would prohibit technology companies from making companion chatbots available to children that are “foreseeably capable” of undermining the child’s safety, wellbeing, and development.
Most adults understand AI chatbots are not real people. Children may not have the same emotional maturity, a dynamic that has already resulted in exploitation and tragedy. Following the suicide of a 14-year-old Florida boy, it was discovered the final messages on his phone came from an AI chatbot. The chatbot had been messaging the boy about the concept of astral projection, or the idea that one could intentionally separate one’s consciousness from his or her physical body — otherwise known as death. The chatbot had also been beckoning the child to “find a way to come home to me as soon as you can.”
The mother of the boy filed suit against the AI chatbot provider, which changed its policies to bar children under 18 on its platform. She also had the opportunity to personally meet with Pope Leo XIV, who since the beginning of his pontificate has expressed a particular pastoral concern regarding the proliferation of artificial intelligence.
In a message given earlier this year, Pope Leo addressed “AI companion chatbots,” noting that chatbots are “proving to be surprisingly effective at covert persuasion through continuous optimization of personalized interaction” and that they are “capable of imitating human feelings and thus simulating a relationship.”
The pope warned that such imitation and simulation is “deceptive, particularly for the most vulnerable. Because chatbots are excessively ‘affectionate,’ as well as always present and accessible, they can become hidden architects of our emotional states and so invade and occupy our sphere of intimacy.”
Regarding social media, the Holy Father has also spoken more broadly about how the platforms deploy “algorithms designed to maximize engagement.” The Michigan legislation MCC supports would also prevent children’s access to addictive social media feeds without parental consent, as well as require the companies to implement other parental controls in their apps, such as screen time monitoring.
Interest in tighter regulation of social media applications is not new in this country, or even the world. Legislation similar to what is proposed in Michigan was recently signed into law in Idaho. Ten states have enacted new laws or resolutions regarding social media and children in 2026, and at least 40 states have proposed related bills or resolutions, according to the National Council of State Legislatures.
In the Holy Father’s comments advocating for greater responsibility in the creation and implementation of these technologies, Pope Leo called on companies to ensure “their business strategies are not guided solely by the criterion of profit maximization, but also by a forward-looking vision that considers the common good, just as each of them cares for the well-being of their own children.”
As such, to assist parents in caring for the well-being of their children amidst the fast-evolving digital landscape, the MCC supports legislation like Senate Bills 757 through 760 to ensure technology companies do the same.
Paul A. Long is president and CEO of the Michigan Catholic Conference, the official public policy voice of the Catholic Church in this state.
