TOTAL Screen Time Act

Voluntary screen-time standard for parents

If enacted, the bill would require the NIST Director to start within 180 days to develop a voluntary technical standard for setting screentime limits across covered devices. The standard would need an authentication and authorization model for minors and their parents or guardians but would not mandate a specific identity scheme. The standard would minimize cross-device data sharing, forbid a centralized database of minors' device activity, and must not weaken device cybersecurity. Covered devices would include phones, tablets, computers, game consoles, televisions, and other devices the Director finds appropriate. The bill would define a minor as under 18 and screentime as any playback of screen media, even in the background. NIST would publish an initial report within one year and then a report every two years until January 1, 2032, on development, adoption, and recommendations.