What happened
On 22 October 2026, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier proposed the 'Safe Screens Act', a legislative programme (not yet filed as a bill) that would require age determination and parental consent before minors download or buy apps, impose protective design defaults on social media accounts for ages 14-17 (quiet mode, time limits, default-off autoplay/infinite scroll, hidden like counts), and bar AI chatbot operators from providing minors features that simulate companionship, encourage self-harm or illegal activity, generate sexual content, or claim the chatbot is human. It treats knowing or reckless violations as unfair practices under Fla. Stat. s.501.1736, with penalties up to $50,000 per violation, and gives the AG authority to seek damages, fines, and a public incident-tracking website.
Why it matters
It would extend Florida's already aggressive minor-protection regime into AI-specific territory — directly regulating the design and feature-set of AI companion/chatbot products for minors, and imposing age-verification duties on app stores, OS providers, and chatbot operators. It follows an 11th Circuit ruling upholding Florida's social media age law and a parallel legal campaign against Meta, and it sets a template other states may copy for AI-chatbot child-safety obligations. For chatbot vendors, social platforms, and app stores, it signals a new wave of design-based AG enforcement.
Action needed
AI chatbot and social-platform operators serving minors should map their current age-determination, parental-consent, and feature defaults against the proposal, and prepare for state AG enforcement if the bill is introduced and enacted; app stores and OS vendors should assess age-verification build requirements.