Naples Daily News

Senator Rick Scott

August 28, 2026

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the world around us. From the corporate world to the average household, things are already very different than they were even a couple years ago. AI has the potential to be the greatest information innovation since the printing press. Still, technology is only as good as our ability to use it well and for the right reasons − especially when it comes to our kids and grandkids.

As a grandfather, I want to make sure my grandkids are safe and protected from any dangers or threats. I was a child of the 50s and 60s. We played outside all day and came home when the streetlights turned on. Smart phones didn’t come along until both my daughters were fully grown. Parents like them see a largely uncharted world of rapidly changing technology for their kids, with very little guidance. It’s terrifying for them.

As students begin the back-to-school season, it’s vital that everyone understand the pros and cons of AI on children. It’s our jobs as parents, educators and lawmakers to teach kids how to use AI properly – and safely – so that they can grow to be the kind of principled innovators, leaders, and job creators America’s workforce needs. Last month, I introduced the Safeguard Kids Act, a bill that helps educate American K-12 students on risks posed by AI and allows Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) federal block grants to fund AI literacy and specialized counseling programs. My legislation does not increase government spending or increase the federal deficit to accomplish this.

The bill would allow schools to take existing grant funds they already receive and spend that money on AI-related education and counseling programs. We know that our kids can use technology that parents could only dream of as kids — and we know it doesn’t always suit their best interests. At times, it can even cause harm to young children.

Specifically, my bill would help students stop relying on chatbots and AI for therapy or mental health counselling. An October 2025 study from Brown University 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. This is very dangerous and concerning – we can’t afford to outsource the welfare of our children to large language models. The facts should alarm every parent in this country. Since 2022, there have 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. In my State of Florida, the alleged FSU shooter not only used an AI to plan the massacre; he had been messaging with it for a year prior on a range of deeply disturbing topics.

These stories are nightmare scenarios for anyone with a child or grandchild.

Replacing human interaction with AI is a clear threat to every child’s interpersonal development. AI is a tool. It’s not supposed to be a catch-all, stand-in for therapists, doctors, lawyers, scientists, poets, or philosophers. It can never replace human connection. It does not possess the humanity we need to support one another or to override a parent’s guidance.

We don’t have to stand idly by, and we shouldn’t. We need a solution that understands the urgency of the situation and allows parents and teachers to make program and curriculum decisions at the local level. They know their children and students better than anyone. That’s what my bill does. By opening up these grant resources, the Safeguard Kids Act will equip parents and educators to protect students in the ways they know best.

If we want America to lead the world in innovation for the next generation, our children need to learn how to use the tools of the future. It’s up to us to make sure they can do it safely. The Safeguard Kids Act does just that; Congress should pass it without delay.