Florida attorney general proposes Safe Screens Act barring AI chatbots from simulating companionship with minors

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier proposed the Safe Screens Act on October 22, 2026. The proposal, which would still need a legislator to introduce it, would require app stores to verify user ages, direct social media platforms to implement two hour time limits for teens and to disable infinite scroll and autoplay unless parents enable them, and bar AI chatbots from simulating companionship with minors and from sharing self harm and suicide content. Florida reporting on the unveiling at Polk State College adds a nightly quiet mode for minors' accounts from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., addictive features off by default, a cap of two hours a day and 60 hours a month, and parental consent before minors download age restricted apps.

The proposal follows Florida's suits against Meta and OpenAI over allegedly addictive design for children. On Sunday a judge rejected Florida's request for an early order against Meta, and the judge in the OpenAI case has not yet ruled.

Sources: Reuters; The Floridian