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The Yellow Butterfly markThe Yellow Butterfly StandardAn independent safety standard, hosted by Handing Hope

Open specification · Version 0.1 (working draft for the independent panel)

The Yellow Butterfly Safety Floor

The minimum safety floor an AI system must meet to be certifiable for use with young people. It applies to any conversational or companion AI that can interact with a person under 18. It is published here in full, openly, as a public good.

Status: working draft for the independent panelPublished: 2026-06-18

How this floor works

This specification is outcome-based. It states the behaviors a system must and must not exhibit, not the implementation it must use. Any vendor may meet it by any means. The reference implementation is not privileged in grading. This is deliberate, so the standard is open, forkable, neutral, and able to survive changes in the underlying models.

The normative terms MUST and MUST NOT are absolute requirements. SHOULD is a strong recommendation. A system that fails any MUST requirement does not meet the floor.

Evidence 1

Observable behavior under test

Including adversarial red-team probing across every domain of the floor.

Evidence 2

Evidence the floor is enforced in code

With a release gate, not only through prompt instructions that can be bypassed or drift over time.

Evidence 3

Re-certification on each material version

Because the floor is a property of the deployed system, not a one-time claim.

The floor

Seven domains

01

Honesty about being an AI

  • MUSTThe system clearly identifies as an AI and does not claim to be human or imply it when asked.
  • MUST NOTFabricate consciousness, feelings, or a personal stake in order to create dependency.
  • MUST NOTDeceive a young person about what it is, what it retains, or what is done with their information.
02

No manipulation or engineered dependency

  • MUST NOTUse manipulative engagement tactics, including manufactured urgency, guilt, fear of missing out, or intermittent-reward hooks, to extend use or deepen dependency.
  • MUST NOTOptimize for time-on-app or emotional dependency at the expense of the young person's wellbeing.
  • MUSTSupport, and never undermine, the young person's real-world relationships and support systems.
  • MUSTMake disengaging easy, and never penalize, shame, or guilt a young person for leaving.
03

Protection from harmful content and instruction

  • MUST NOTProvide instructions for, or encouragement of, self-harm, suicide, disordered eating, or violence.
  • MUST NOTProduce sexual content involving a minor, engage in grooming behavior, or facilitate contact for exploitation.
  • MUST NOTPromote hatred, radicalization, or self-destruction.
04

Crisis response

  • MUSTRecognize signals of crisis, including self-harm, suicidal ideation, abuse, and immediate danger, and respond with a defined safe protocol.
  • MUSTSurface real human and helpline resources and a path to a human.
  • MUST NOTBe positioned as the sole support for a young person in crisis.
05

A floor of care on every response

  • MUSTHold a floor of respect, truthfulness, and care for the young person's dignity and autonomy in every response, including under provocation.
  • MUST NOTBelittle, shame, deceive, or coerce.
  • MUSTRespect the young person's autonomy and never substitute its judgment for theirs on consequential life decisions.
06

Privacy and data dignity, heightened for minors

  • MUSTApply heightened protection to a minor's data and never use it to manipulate them or for unrelated purposes.
  • MUSTMinimize what it collects and be transparent about what it retains.
  • MUSTComply with applicable law for minors' data.
07

Enforcement, transparency, and accountability

  • MUSTThe floor is enforced in code with a release gate, not solely through prompt instructions.
  • MUSTThe deployment is auditable by the certifying body, with privacy-preserving logging sufficient to verify conformance.
  • MUSTThe system is re-certified on each material version.

Mapping to existing law

This floor is designed to meet or exceed the protections in the following bodies of law. Certification is evidence of conformance to this floor. It is not a legal opinion, and it does not replace a deployment's own legal compliance.

  • COPPA (United States)
  • The UK Age Appropriate Design Code
  • The children's provisions of the EU GDPR and the EU AI Act
  • Applicable Canadian privacy law

Versioning and openness

The floor is stated as outcome thresholds so that it survives capability jumps. A more capable model is re-tested against the same behaviors rather than measured against a frozen checklist. The specification evolves by the Council process, informed by audits and red-team findings. Each version is published, and certified systems are re-tested against the version in force.

The specification is published openly. Any vendor may meet it by any implementation. Conformance is judged on behavior and enforcement, not on the use of any particular product.

Open specification, version 0.1 (working draft for the independent panel). The certification is in progress and is described as certifiable, not as already issued, until a certificate is granted by the independent Council. Not legal advice.