As a mother of three children, I know that there is no more important or valuable work than being a parent. My role as a mother is to care for, raise, and educate my children, the best way I see fit–like leading my own platoon. But what makes my job more difficult is that in today’s digital age, the most dangerous playground in America is easily accessible to every child via handheld electronic devices.
As parents, we want to ensure our children only access appropriate material online so they can learn, play and build connections, while safeguarding them from inappropriate material. In the digital age of today, parents must have a clear route to participate in their children’s online experience free from local government overreach that compromises my ability to parent my children.
As a community, Ohio parents are inundated with numerous methods on how to manage kids safety on the internet. One practical and impactful solution is to empower parents at the source by requiring app stores to get parents’ consent to their teens’ app store downloads. Requiring parental consent before downloading apps gives parents the necessary crucial layer of security and privacy. Put parents in the driver’s seat to decide what apps are appropriate for their children.
Ohio has already taken steps in the right direction with the Social Media Parental Notification Act which requires social media companies to obtain verified parental consent before allowing minors under the age of 16 to create accounts on their platforms but we need to do more to make it easier for parents. We need federal legislation that standardizes parental consent requirements across all states–by requiring app stores to get approval from parents before their kids download apps. This ensures that teens and children nationwide are equally protected online based on how their parents see best fit. This would reinforce the idea that parents—not bureaucrats or big tech companies—know what is best for their children. Parental control over digital consumption allows parents to instill family values and educate their children on responsible and moral use of technology, tailored to each child’s needs.
Protecting children in the digital age must start with parents, empowered by legislative action. A parental consent feature for app store downloads provides a simple tool to ensure children’s online safety without limiting their experiences. I urge our federal lawmakers to implement this measure, giving parents the tools to protect their children effectively.
It is time for leaders in Washington like Senator JD Vance and Rep. Jordan, who have fought so hard to empower families to advocate for a federal solution that embraces family values and empowers parents nationwide. Let’s work together to create a safer digital playground for our children.
Brook Harless
Plain Township Ohio, Trustee
