119 HR 8743 IH: Screen-time Management And Recommendations for Teens and Kids Act U.S. House of Representatives 2026-05-12 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I119th CONGRESS2d SessionH. R. 8743IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESMay 12, 2026Mr. Deluzio (for himself and Mrs. Houchin) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and CommerceA BILLTo direct the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service to develop recommendations for screen time limits for children to promote healthy development and well-being, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Screen-time Management And Recommendations for Teens and Kids Act or the SMART Kids Act.

2.

Screen time limit recommendations for children

(a)

In general

The Surgeon General of the Public Health Service shall develop recommendations for screen time limits for children to promote healthy development and well-being. Such recommendations shall be evidence-informed. (b)

Age-Based recommendations

In carrying out subsection (a), the Surgeon General shall develop separate recommendations for— (1)ages 0 to 2 years; (2)ages 2 to 5 years; (3)ages 5 to 8 years; (4)ages 8 to 13 years; (5)ages 13 to 16 years; and (6)ages 16 to 18 years. (c)

Qualitative recommendations

In carrying out subsection (a), the Surgeon General may, in addition to the separate recommendations by age group required under subsection (b), develop recommendations based on qualitative factors, including whether certain types of screen time may be less harmful to children than others. (d)

Coordination with independent entity

The Surgeon General shall develop the recommendations under subsection (a) in coordination with an independent entity to be selected by the Surgeon General. In making such selection, the Surgeon General shall ensure that the entity does not have a financial or other conflict of interest that might introduce bias into the process of developing the recommendations. (e)

Publication; report to Congress

Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Surgeon General shall— (1)publish the recommendations developed under subsection (a) on the internet website of the Department of Health and Human Services; and (2)submit to Congress a report containing such recommendations. (f)

Screen time limit defined

In this section, the term screen time limit means the maximum amount of time per day spent using an electronic device with a display screen.