Washington § 19.440.050 - Protocol for suicidal ideation and self-harm — Requirements. (Effective January 1, 2027.)

Full text of Washington Revised Code of Washington § 19.440.050 — Protocol for suicidal ideation and self-harm — Requirements. (Effective January 1, 2027.), with citation guidance and answers to common questions.

§ 19.440.050. Protocol for suicidal ideation and self-harm — Requirements. (Effective January 1, 2027.)

(1) An operator may not make available or deploy an AI companion chatbot unless it maintains and implements a protocol for detecting and addressing suicidal ideation or expressions of self-harm by users.
(2) The protocol must:
(a) Include reasonable methods for identifying expressions of suicidal ideation or self-harm, including eating disorders;
(b) Provide automated or human-mediated responses that refer users to appropriate crisis resources, including a suicide hotline or crisis text line; and
(c) Implement reasonable measures to prevent the generation of content encouraging or describing how to commit self-harm.
(3) The operator shall publicly disclose on their website or websites, and within any mobile or web-based application through which the AI companion is made available, the details of the protocols required by this section, including safeguards used to detect and respond to expressions of suicidal ideation or self-harm and the number of crisis referral notifications issued to users in the preceding calendar year.
[ 2026 c 168 s 5.]

Notes

Effective date—2026 c 168: See note following RCW 19.440.010.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Washington § 19.440.050

What does Revised Code of Washington § 19.440.050 cover?

Section 19.440.050 ("Protocol for suicidal ideation and self-harm — Requirements. (Effective January 1, 2027.)") is part of the Revised Code of Washington, the codified statutory law of Washington. It sets out the legal rule or procedure described in the text above. Statutes are amended regularly, so always verify against the official source.

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Is this the official text of Washington law?

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