Early childhood education; guidelines for limited screen time for children in certain licensed child-care facilities, certain preschools, and public kindergarten established, annual training requirement for teachers and certain staff members established, Department of Early Childhood Education, Department of Human Resources, and State Board of Education authorized to implement and enforce limited screen time requirements

HB 78 sets age-based screen time limits for children in early childhood education settings, directly affecting licensed child-care facilities, prekindergarten programs, and public kindergarten classrooms in Alabama. It prohibits screen time for children under two, limits it to 30 minutes daily (90 minutes weekly) for ages two to four, and requires all screen use to be "high-quality" and adult-supervised. The bill mandates annual staff training on screen time guidelines and requires the Department of Early Childhood Education to develop and publicly share free, research-based guidelines for parents. Compliance is tied to facility licensure and enforced by the Department of Human Resources, Department of Early Childhood Education, and local school boards. The law aims to align with pediatric recommendations by reducing excessive screen exposure during critical developmental years.