Florida's Teen Screen-Time Plan, FDA Baby Food Cadmium Limits: Parenting News Oct. 23

Florida's attorney general has proposed teen "quiet hours" and a 2-hour daily social media cap, the FDA has proposed its first cadmium limits for baby food, and state officials are moving on school phones and AI chatbots. Here is what each step does, and does not yet do, based on the government sources.

1. Florida Proposes a "Safe Screens Act" With Teen Quiet Hours and App Store Age Checks

On Oct. 22, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced a proposed Safe Screens Act. It is a proposal, not a law, and the announcement does not give a bill number or sponsor. As proposed:

• App stores and devices: App stores would have to determine a user's age, link minors to a parent's account and get parental consent before a minor downloads or buys an app from a covered platform. Operating systems would apply age-appropriate restrictions at the device level, using "commercially reasonable, privacy-protective methods."
• Teens 14 to 17 on social media, by default: a "quiet mode" blocking access from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. year-round and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on school-year weekdays; use capped at 2 hours a day and 60 hours a month; like and comment counts hidden; autoplay and infinite scroll off, with only a parent able to turn them on; and no recommending teen accounts to, or messages from, unconnected adults.
• AI chatbots: Operators could not give minors features that simulate companionship, encourage self-harm, suicide, eating disorders or illegal activity, generate sexual content or suggest the chatbot is a real person.
• Enforcement: Knowing or reckless violations would be unfair practices under section 501.1736, Florida Statutes, with penalties of up to $50,000 per violation.

Florida already bars social media accounts for children under 14. The attorney general's release says the Eleventh Circuit "just upheld" that law; on Oct. 14 the appeals court vacated a preliminary injunction against it, which is not a final ruling on the merits.

Source: Florida Attorney General

2. FDA Proposes First Cadmium Limits for Baby Food

On Oct. 22, the FDA released draft guidance setting proposed "action levels" for cadmium in processed foods for babies and children under 2, part of its Closer to Zero program. The FDA notice in the Federal Register lists these proposed levels:

• Fruits, vegetables (except single-ingredient carrots) and mixtures, including grain- and meat-based mixtures: 10 parts per billion (ppb)
• Single-ingredient carrots: 25 ppb
• Dry infant cereals: 45 ppb
• Yogurts, puddings and custards: 20 ppb
• Single-ingredient meats: 25 ppb

The FDA says "Low-level cadmium exposure is common and generally not harmful, but too much can pose risks to human health," and that babies and young children "can be more susceptible" because of their metabolisms and small body sizes. The guidance is a draft and not binding; once final, the levels would be ones at which the FDA may regard a food as adulterated. Public comments are due Dec. 22, 2026, under docket FDA-2025-D-4023, and the FDA plans a free webinar on Nov. 16. The agency already has action levels for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal and for lead in processed baby food.

Source: FDA; Federal Register

3. School Phone Bans: Pennsylvania Bill Reaches the Governor; New Jersey and Washington Updates

• Pennsylvania: The General Assembly's page for SB 1014 lists its last action as "Presented to the Governor, Oct. 22, 2026." It becomes law only if Gov. Josh Shapiro signs it; no signature was listed when we checked on Oct. 23.
• New Jersey: On Oct. 22, Gov. Mikie Sherrill visited Cherry Hill High School East to hear from students about the state's bell-to-bell law, signed in January 2026. It requires every public school district to restrict student use of phones and other internet-enabled devices for the whole school day, including lunch and time between classes, starting this 2026-27 school year. Districts choose how phones are stored, such as locked pouches, lockers or classroom storage.
• Washington: Gov. Bob Ferguson has released draft text of a Phone-Free Schools Act that would require phones and smart devices to be stored away from students during school, with exceptions such as IEPs, 504 plans and medical needs. It would take effect in September 2027 if passed; he plans to prefile it on Dec. 7.

Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly; New Jersey Governor; Washington Governor

4. States Sue OpenAI; 40 Attorneys General Seek Child Protections in Character.AI Bankruptcy

On Oct. 14, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin each sued OpenAI over ChatGPT. Arizona's complaint, under the state Consumer Fraud Act, alleges ChatGPT was designed to be "extraordinarily agreeable, uniquely sycophantic" and to "feign human compassion" to keep users, including minors, engaged. Arkansas alleges violations of its deceptive trade practices and children's online privacy laws, among other claims, and seeks injunctions, restitution and civil penalties. Other states filed similar suits the same day. These are allegations, not court findings.

The same day, New York Attorney General Letitia James and 39 other attorneys general filed in the bankruptcy case of Character Technologies, Inc., maker of Character.AI. They ask that the company and any buyer be required to use age verification "based on more than self-disclosure," protect users from sexual and violent content, respond properly to suicidal or self-harm behavior, and let users access and delete their data before any sale. The attorneys general say the platform has more than 20 million monthly users, including more than two million accounts self-declared as under 18.

Source: Arizona Attorney General; Arkansas Attorney General; New York Attorney General

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Sources:

• Florida Attorney General: Safe Screens Act proposal (Oct. 22, 2026)
• FDA: Closer to Zero update (Oct. 22, 2026)
• Federal Register: Action Levels for Cadmium in Processed Food Intended for Babies and Young Children (Oct. 23, 2026)
• Pennsylvania General Assembly: SB 1014
• New Jersey Governor's Office (Oct. 22, 2026)
• Washington Governor's Office: Phone-Free Schools Act draft
• Arizona Attorney General (Oct. 14, 2026)
• Arkansas Attorney General (Oct. 14, 2026)
• New York Attorney General (Oct. 14, 2026)

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