HR-9692-119
Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
Sponsored by George Whitesides (D-CA)
What it does
This bill would direct the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to convene stakeholders — including device makers, medical organizations, privacy advocates, and federal agencies — to develop a voluntary technical standard for setting screen time limits across phones, tablets, computers, game consoles, televisions, and similar devices. The standard would be designed specifically for minors and their parents or guardians, and would be required to minimize data sharing, avoid creating a centralized database of minors' activity, and not compromise device cybersecurity. NIST would report to Congress on the standard's development and adoption annually for the first year and biennially through 2032.
Who benefits
Parents and guardians who want a consistent, cross-device tool to manage children's screen time without relying on each manufacturer's separate system. Minors whose parents use such tools, particularly those whose screen time is linked to health or developmental concerns. Pediatric health organizations that have advocated for standardized digital wellness tools. Privacy advocates, as the bill explicitly requires minimizing data exchange and prohibits centralized tracking databases. Device manufacturers who would benefit from a single interoperable standard rather than navigating a patchwork of state-level requirements. International standards bodies that would be included in the process.
Who is hurt
Device manufacturers and platform developers who may face market or regulatory pressure to adopt the voluntary standard even without a legal mandate, potentially incurring compliance costs. App developers and streaming services whose engagement metrics could decline if screen time limits are widely adopted. Advertisers who rely on extended screen engagement, particularly from younger users. Families who prefer no government involvement in setting norms around device use, even voluntary ones. NIST itself would bear administrative costs of convening stakeholders and producing biennial reports.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that children in the U.S. average more than seven hours of daily recreational screen time, and that no interoperable cross-device parental control standard currently exists — forcing parents to manage separate, incompatible tools on each device. They contend that a voluntary, privacy-preserving standard developed through an open, multi-stakeholder process is a measured, non-coercive approach that empowers parents without mandating government control over device use. By explicitly prohibiting centralized data collection and requiring cybersecurity protections, the bill addresses the most common objections to digital monitoring tools.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that a NIST-developed standard, even if labeled voluntary, creates de facto pressure on manufacturers to adopt it — particularly if it is later referenced in procurement rules, litigation, or state regulations — effectively achieving regulatory outcomes without the procedural safeguards of formal rulemaking. They contend that existing parental control tools already exist on most major platforms and that federal involvement in setting norms around screen time may entrench a particular view of appropriate device use that is contested among pediatric researchers, some of whom dispute the evidence linking screen time to harm.