Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has proposed legislation requiring social media platforms to impose stricter limits on teenagers’ use of their services, days after a judge rejected the state’s attempt to force Meta Platforms to overhaul Instagram and Facebook for young users.
The proposed Safe Screens Act would introduce new obligations for app stores, social media companies and artificial intelligence chatbot providers, extending Florida’s efforts to regulate how digital platforms interact with children.
Uthmeier, a Republican, announced the proposal on Thursday. The measure would still need to be introduced by a state legislator before it could proceed through the legislative process.
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Under the proposal, app stores would be required to verify users’ ages, while social media platforms would have to impose two-hour usage limits for teenagers. Platforms would also be required to disable features such as infinite scrolling and autoplay unless parents explicitly enabled them.
The legislation would extend beyond conventional social media to AI chatbots. It would prohibit chatbots from simulating companionship with minors and from sharing content related to self-harm and suicide, among other proposed restrictions.
The proposal signals a shift in Florida’s approach following the setback in its court battle with Meta. Rather than relying solely on judicial orders in ongoing litigation, the state is seeking legislation that could establish broader obligations for technology companies operating within its jurisdiction.
Florida sued Meta and OpenAI, alleging that their platforms have been designed in ways that encourage addictive behavior among children. The state sought orders from the judges overseeing the two cases that would compel the companies to change their products while the litigation continues.
On Sunday, however, the judge handling the Meta case rejected Florida’s request, ruling that it was not appropriate to require major changes to the company’s platforms at the outset of the proceedings.
The decision did not resolve the underlying allegations against Meta. Instead, it represented a setback for the state’s attempt to secure immediate changes through the court before the case had progressed further.
The judge overseeing Florida’s case against OpenAI had not yet ruled on the state’s request at the time of the announcement.
The Safe Screens Act would provide a separate legislative route to impose restrictions on digital services. If enacted, its requirements could apply across categories of technology companies rather than being limited to the two businesses already facing lawsuits from the state.
That approach would also raise questions about implementation. Age verification would require app stores to establish users’ ages, while social media companies would need systems to enforce time limits and control access to engagement features. The proposed restrictions on AI chatbots would create additional compliance obligations for providers whose products can simulate conversations and relationships with users.
The inclusion of AI chatbots reflects the expansion of the child-safety debate beyond social media feeds and conventional online content.
Chatbots can maintain extended conversations, adapt responses to individual users, and simulate emotionally engaging interactions. Florida’s proposal would seek to restrict some of those capabilities when the users are minors, particularly where systems simulate companionship or produce material involving self-harm and suicide.
The proposal also raises questions about how regulators would distinguish prohibited simulated companionship from ordinary conversational assistance, and how restrictions on sensitive content would be enforced across different AI products.
For technology companies, the potential compliance burden could extend beyond removing specific features. Providers may need age-sensitive product controls, safeguards against inappropriate interactions, and mechanisms to prevent minors from accessing restricted functions.
The two-hour social media limit and proposed restrictions on infinite scrolling and autoplay similarly target product design rather than only the content users encounter. These features are common across major platforms and help determine how users navigate feeds and consume material. Requiring parental approval to enable them would give parents greater control while limiting platforms’ ability to activate them by default for teenagers.
Florida already has a law barring children under 14 from using social media. A US appeals court recently upheld that measure, providing an existing legal backdrop for the state’s efforts to restrict minors’ access to online platforms.
The Safe Screens Act would add a different set of controls, including usage limits and design restrictions for teenagers, alongside requirements for AI chatbot providers. Its final scope, however, would depend on the legislative process and the wording of any enacted law.
The proposal adds another potential source of regulatory pressure on Meta, OpenAI and other technology companies, as governments examine the effects of digital products on younger users. The immediate legal dispute over Meta concerns whether a court should order changes before the case proceeds, while the proposed legislation seeks to establish rules through the political process.