Texas digital reality posture profile

Why this status

Based on adjacent fraud, privacy, impersonation, or child-safety coverage.

What this means

• Texas's coverage here comes from data-privacy and consumer-protection laws, not a dedicated AI-companion rule. The SCOPE Act requires companies to get parental permission before sharing a minor's personal information and to give parents tools to manage their child's account settings — and the AG has confirmed that rule extends to AI products. As of August 2025, Character.AI and Meta AI Studio have received Civil Investigative Demands from the AG's office, which are formal legal demands for records and information. That is an active step in a legal process, not a final finding. No court order, settlement, or new Texas statute specific to AI companions has been cited in the public record reviewed here. The rules in effect are the SCOPE Act and TDPSA, applied to this space through AG enforcement posture.

What to do next

• Read the SCOPE Act directly on the Texas Legislature's site (search 'SCOPE Act' or 'HB 18' on capitol.texas.gov) to see exactly what parental-permission and account-management rights it creates. For the latest status of the Character.AI and Meta investigations, check the Texas AG's news releases page — any settlement, lawsuit, or closure of those CIDs would appear there.

Citation-grade sources

Provenance

References

• Texas AG Paxton - investigation of Meta and Character.AI for deceptive AI mental-health practices

  August 18, 2025 press release announcing CIDs issued to Meta AI Studio and Character.AI under Texas consumer protection laws, building on prior SCOPE Act investigation.

• Texas AG Paxton - SCOPE Act / TDPSA investigations into Character.AI and others

  December 12, 2024 press release announcing investigations into Character.AI and fourteen other companies under the SCOPE Act and TDPSA.