Florida Revives AI Bill Granting Parents Control Over Kids' Chatbot Use

Florida lawmakers will take up a sweeping artificial intelligence consumer protection bill during a Special Session beginning Tuesday, reviving a measure that cleared the Senate earlier this year before dying in the House — a fate that could repeat itself given continued resistance from House leadership.

For families across the Treasure Coast, the stakes are concrete: SB 2D, filed by Sen. Jason Brodeur, a Lake Mary Republican, would require any platform using a companion chatbot to obtain parental consent before a minor creates an account. Schools deploying AI tools would have to give parents the option to remove their children from those systems. The bill would also establish that Floridians have the right to know when they are communicating with artificial intelligence and the right to know when technology companies are collecting their personal or biometric data — including photos and fingerprints.

The 33-page bill would require chatbot platforms to display pop-up disclosures at the start of every interaction and at least once every hour reminding users they are speaking with AI. Platforms would also have to prompt users to log off and rest. Technology companies that violate the rules could face fines of $10,000 or more, with the Department of Legal Affairs empowered to investigate and pursue legal action against violators.

A companion bill, SB 4D, would create a public records exemption shielding computer forensic reports and data-security vulnerability information held by the Department of Legal Affairs. That exemption would expire Oct. 2, 2031, unless the Legislature reauthorizes it. Both bills are designed to take effect simultaneously.

The legislation's path through the House remains uncertain. House Speaker Daniel Perez said he believes federal regulators, not Tallahassee, should lead on AI oversight — a position that killed the bill during the regular session in the spring. AI regulation has been a priority of Gov. Ron DeSantis, but House Republicans have increasingly pushed back on the governor's agenda in recent years.

Senate President Ben Albritton told lawmakers in a memo Friday that SB 2D and SB 4D would be taken up and passed during Tuesday's session, with bipartisan agreement between Senate leaders Jim Boyd and Lori Berman. Whether the House follows suit will determine whether parents and children in Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties gain new legal rights in their interactions with AI platforms this session.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.