Sen. Rick Scott Introduces Safeguard Kids Act to Protect Children from AI Risks at School

WASHINGTON, D.C.- U.S. Senator Rick Scott today introduced the Safeguard Kids Act, a bill to educate American K-12 students on risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI) and allow Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) Federal Block Grants to fund AI literacy and specialized counseling programs.

Senator Rick Scott said, "Artificial Intelligence has the potential to be the greatest information innovation since the printing press, but technology is only as good as our ability to use it well and for the right reasons. We cannot let AI be the wild west and hope our kids figure it out; that doesn't work. It's on us to guide them as they grow. We need to teach kids about the risks associated with AI, so they can be the kind of principled innovators, leaders, and job creators America's future economy needs."

SCOOP: Townhall: EXCLUSIVE: Proposal Aims to Prevent Children From Using AI As a Therapist

BACKGROUND:

An October 2025 study identified 15 distinct ethical risks in AI chatbot behavior in mental health contexts - including false empathy, providing responses to reinforce users' negative beliefs about themselves and others, and lack of crisis management. Transparency about the non-human nature and limitations of AI systems protects consumers and supports responsible innovation.

Since 2022, there have also been over 200 complaints lodged with the Federal Trade Commission against ChatGPT specifically, with many of those cases involving AI-induced psychosis, suicides, and at least one murder. In one notable case, a young woman asked ChatGPT to write her suicide note.

This legislation does not increase government spending or increase the federal deficit.

Read the full bill HERE.

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