- Florida AG James Uthmeier proposed the Safe Screens Act, legislation aimed at protecting minors from harmful social media features, unsafe AI chatbot interactions, and inadequate age verification. The proposed legislation would require app stores to verify users’ ages, link minors’ accounts to a parent’s account, and obtain parental consent before minors download or purchase apps.
- The Safe Screens Act also would require age determination and parental consent, set protective design defaults for social media accounts for ages 14 to 17, protect all minors from harmful AI chatbot features, and provide strong uniform enforcement. For social media users aged 14-17, the bill would impose a two-hour daily screen time limit, restrict access overnight and during school hours, hide likes and reaction counts by default, and disable autoplay and infinite scrolling unless a parent enables them. The legislation \ would further prohibit AI chatbots from simulating companionship, encouraging harm, generating sexual content, claiming to be a human, or discouraging children from seeking help from trusted adults.
- Violations would be treated as unfair or deceptive practices under Florida law, with penalties of up to $50,000 per violation. The AG would be empowered to stop violations, seek damages, impose fines, and maintain a public website to track incidents.