The FTC’s 2025 companion inquiry scoped questions rather than declaring a finding

What the inquiry was

On September 11, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it had issued 6(b) orders to seven consumer-facing AI chatbot companies. The release says the study sought information about how companies evaluate safety, limit use by and possible effects on children and teens, and inform users and parents about risks. It listed Alphabet, Character Technologies, Instagram, Meta, OpenAI, Snap, and X.AI. The Commission described this as an information-gathering inquiry, not an enforcement action or a determination that any recipient violated the law.

The published order template makes the operational scope more concrete. It asks about monetizing engagement, inputs and outputs, character development and approval, testing and monitoring before and after deployment, age restrictions, disclosures, data sharing, and policy enforcement. This provides a useful product-research checklist because it connects companion mechanics—characters, persistence, engagement loops—to governance questions. It does not answer how any particular company responded.

What not to infer

Evidence: the press release and order template identify the inquiry’s recipients and requested topics. Inference: the agency’s scope recognizes that companion-like design can involve more than model output, including product incentives and disclosures. That is an inference about regulatory attention, not a claim that a feature is unsafe or that harms occurred. This note intentionally does not provide health, legal, or compliance advice, and it does not characterize the inquiry as a lawsuit, penalty, or final finding.

Evidence limit: The sources establish the inquiry’s scope, not later company submissions, outcomes, or liability.