The Healthy Early Development and Screen Time Act aims to establish comprehensive guidelines for screen time use in early childhood education settings in Alabama. It mandates the Department of Early Childhood Education, in collaboration with the State Department of Human Resources and the State Department of Education, to create research-based guidelines focused on healthy screen time practices for children aged birth to five. The act introduces a new Article 4 to Chapter 24 of Title 26 in the Code of Alabama, defining key terms such as "adult-supervised use," "screen time," and "high-quality programming." The bill emphasizes the importance of play, reading, physical activity, and caregiver-child interaction while addressing the risks of excessive screen time.

Furthermore, the bill requires early childhood education programs to comply with the established screen time standards, which include prohibiting background television and passive screen time. Local boards of education must adopt a screen time policy for kindergarten classrooms by the 2027-2028 school year, ensuring annual teacher training on these standards. The bill also introduces Section 38-7-7.1 to the Code of Alabama 1975, mandating that all day care centers and related facilities implement a compliant screen time policy as a prerequisite for licensing. The Department of Education will incorporate this policy into its minimum standards, with monitoring and compliance checks during inspections. If a facility is found noncompliant, the Department of Early Childhood Education will prioritize additional training and may enforce a corrective action plan if issues persist. The act is set to take effect on January 1, 2027.