By Nansen Malin / For The Herald
Parents understand, perhaps better than anyone, the unique dangers that American youth face in today’s digital world.
It used to be that if your kids were home, you knew they were safe. But now, malicious strangers and inappropriate content can reach teens at all hours of the day through their phones. Parents navigating the new digital age don’t have the streamlined tools needed to effectively protect their children from this lurking danger. A new bill, introduced by U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, would establish an additional guardrail in smartphone app stores to make it simple for parents to approve or block the apps on their child’s device.
The App Store Accountability Act, written with the intent to keep kids safe from exploitation online, would empower parents by requiring the companies that control app marketplaces, such as those operated by Apple and Google, to set up age verification and parental approval guardrails for all youth accounts. This means that teens could not download any new apps to their devices before getting their parents’ express permission. This is a parent-first, no-loose-ends approach to youth online safety that captures not just the known name-brand platforms but also lesser-known or emerging apps that host inappropriate or dangerous content.
That is not to say that parents haven’t been doing what they can to shield and protect their children online. It is clear that parents express a shared concern over their children’s online presence, but the current tools available to parents are clearly not effective if 79 percent of parents have tried using parental controls and yet their children are still being exposed to harmful content. This is not the parents’ fault but is caused by a complicated web of differing parental tools offered by each individual app. Lee’s bill simplifies the process for parents by establishing a first line of defense at the app-store level.
I’ve been a strong advocate for parental consent measures, because setting up this extra layer of security at the app store level is simple and common sense, which is good policy making.
This bill gives parents a simple solution that would increase their ability to properly protect their children, including strengthened age verification, parental oversight, app age-rating safety measures, annual certifications of safe harbor, and a parental complaint mechanism.
Putting increased control into parents’ hands would allow us to protect our children. This includes protection from online dangers, harmful content and overuse. It is important that parents are the ones making decisions on what content is appropriate for their children, not unelected government officials.
For the same reason, I’ve spoken out about my concerns about the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), because it undermines parental rights. In the case of KOSA, unelected bureaucrats in the federal government would be given control over what our children see online, as opposed to parents. My approval of Sen. Lee’s bill, and disapproval of KOSA, are consistent with believing that decision-making power should be in the hands of parents over the government, when it comes to children.
Now is the time for members of Congress to join Sen. Lee in support of the App Store Accountability Act. Let’s get this through Congress and make the growing digital ecosystem safer for our children. As chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I urge Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers to use her leadership to address these issues and pursue similar legislation in the House.
Nansen Malin is a parent, grandparent and school board member who splits her time between Mukilteo and southwest Washington. She advises business, families and influencers on the use of social media, and issues around safety for minors. Follow her on X @nansen.
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