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H.R. 8743119th CongressIn committeeLatest action May 12, 2026Decoded by AI · checked against the record
The plain-language version leads. The official text is always the reference.
HR 8743 directs the Surgeon General to publish evidence-based daily screen time guidelines for children under 18 within one year.
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HR 8743 requires the U.S. Surgeon General to develop and publish official, evidence-based guidelines on daily screen time for children, covering six age groups from infants under 2 through teenagers aged 16 to 18. The guidelines must be published online and submitted to Congress within one year of the bill becoming law. The bill creates no laws, fines, or enforcement mechanisms — compliance with any resulting recommendations is entirely voluntary.
Parents, caregivers, pediatricians, child health professionals, and school administrators would be the most directly affected audiences for the guidelines. Tech companies could be indirectly affected if published guidelines shift public attention toward children's screen use habits.
Publishing government-backed screen time recommendations could influence how families, schools, and health providers approach children's daily device use. Because the guidelines carry no legal weight, any changes in behavior would depend entirely on voluntary adoption.
AI-drafted summary. Verify it against the official text before you act on it. Read the official bill on Congress.gov
Right now: a House committee is reviewing it. If the Senate changes it, it goes back to the House before reaching the President.
Latest action: — Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.