Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has proposed the "Safe Screens Act," model legislation targeting app stores, operating systems, and AI chatbots with new age verification and parental consent requirements. The proposal, announced in October 2026, aims to protect minors online but raises concerns among First Amendment attorneys regarding its potential impact on adult users and digital privacy.

Overview of the Safe Screens Act

Attorney General James Uthmeier, a conservative Republican, unveiled the "Safe Screens Act" at a press conference last week, with a release date of October 22, 2026. The proposal was announced at Polk State College in Winter Haven, with Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd and local education leaders present. The legislation is presented as a model for political allies to introduce in the Florida state legislature, though it currently lacks a legislative sponsor and faces an uncertain path to the 2027 session, which begins March 2.

The Safe Screens Act calls for age verification and platform parental consent before minors can download apps or use a mobile device. It imposes protective design defaults on social media accounts for users aged 14 to 17. Additionally, the measure bars artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots from providing minors with features that simulate companionship, encourage harm, generate sexual content, or claim to be human. Violations of the act could carry civil penalties up to $50,000 per instance.

Uthmeier stated that "Parents deserve real control, and companies must design for safety, not addiction." He noted that Florida already prohibits social media accounts for anyone under 14, a law upheld by the Eleventh Circuit. The Attorney General added, "The Safe Screens Act goes further. If you invite Florida’s children onto your platform, you have a duty to keep them safe." Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd described Attorney General James Uthmeier as a "visionary when it comes to protecting children in Florida," emphasizing his commitment to child safety and security.

The proposal follows the Eleventh Circuit's October 14 ruling that Florida's existing HB 3 social media law is likely constitutional. The Safe Screens Act targets three distinct layers of the digital stack: app stores operated by Apple and Google, the operating systems those stores run on, and AI chatbot platforms. App stores, primarily Apple's App Store and Google Play, would be required to determine the age of every user, link minor accounts to a parent's account, and obtain explicit parental consent before a minor can download or purchase any app.

Industry Reactions and Concerns

While the Safe Screens Act has no immediate impact on adult entertainment industry stakeholders, it is a noteworthy development due to its targeting of social media networks considered friendly to adult content, nudity, and sexually explicit depictions. Lawrence Walters, a Florida-based First Amendment attorney, told AVN that the motivation behind the act is "highly suspect" but should not be alarming to adult entertainment industry professionals. Walters stated, "While any expansion of age-gating or design mandates raises familiar First Amendment and privacy concerns for both adults and platforms, the proposal as currently described does not impose new, material compliance burdens on the typical adult website operator that is already subject to Florida’s existing verification framework." He concluded that the direct impact on the core adult entertainment community "appears limited," as the act is primarily aimed at app stores, device-level operating system controls, certain social media design features for teens, and AI chatbots.

Michigan-based First Amendment attorney Corey Silverstein also expressed concerns on freedom of speech grounds. Silverstein highlighted the current focus on minors' access to social media networks like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. He explained that the Safe Screens Act "raises important questions about how far government should go in regulating access to digital content." Silverstein added that while protecting children is a shared priority, "requiring age checks at the app-store or operating-system level could have implications far beyond minors, potentially affecting the privacy and online experiences of every adult user."

The Safe Screens Act proposes what Uthmeier's office refers to as "age determination" rather than age verification, emphasizing operating-system-level identity validation measures. This approach is similar to methods some adult entertainment platforms prefer. For example, the Aylo-owned adult entertainment platform Pornhub.com has advocated for device-level age-gating over site-level age-gating on adult websites. Florida has a law like this, according to AVN's previous reporting on Aylo's lobbying efforts. Aylo transmitted a letter in late July 2026 to elected officials and lawmakers, including Uthmeier's office, indicating that site-level age verification is ineffective. The letter stated, "You have the power and the responsibility to mandate operating system providers like Apple, Microsoft and Google to render all mobile phones, tablets and computers child safe by enabling parental controls at the source and by default."

Silverstein emphasized that Uthmeier's model legislation is crucial for adult industry members to track. He stated that industry members have "a direct stake in ensuring that child-safety policies are effective without unnecessarily restricting lawful adult expression or creating new risks involving sensitive personal data."

Key Facts

  • Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier proposed the "Safe Screens Act" on October 22, 2026.
  • The act mandates age verification and parental consent for minors to download apps or use mobile devices.
  • It targets app stores (Apple App Store, Google Play), operating systems, and AI chatbot platforms.
  • The proposal includes protective design defaults for social media accounts of users aged 14-17.
  • Violations of the act could result in civil penalties up to $50,000 per instance.
  • First Amendment attorneys Lawrence Walters and Corey Silverstein have expressed concerns regarding potential impacts on adult users and digital privacy.