Protecting kids online should be major political issue
The Democratic National Committee has gaveled down and as the campaign for president heats up, one of the questions on swing voters' minds will be, which party truly fights for families?
Democrats, led by Vice President Harris, have an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to families, addressing the concern of key voters to defeat Trump and solidifying their strategy to ensure victory in November. One way that Democrats can do that is by proactively addressing concerns of parents worried about their children's online safety.
While there are many solutions that leaders are floating at the state and federal levels, public polling reveals an unusually strong bipartisan consensus among parents regarding online safety. Four out of five parents (79%) support legislation requiring parental approval for children under 16 to download apps. Such a law would create a central hub where parents verify their kids' ages and decide what app their kids and teens would benefit from using.
Clearly, this widespread consensus highlights a significant opportunity for Democrats to address parents' concerns about navigating online parenting. By advocating for solutions that empower parents to ensure their teens have age-appropriate online experiences, Democrats can demonstrate a commitment to families nationwide.
Several blue and red states have enacted age-verification and age-restriction laws targeting teens' access to social media, creating a commendable yet confusing patchwork of state-level regulations, leaving parents without a model or framework for engaging with teens online without overstepping. Without a clear, universal standard for parents to follow when engaging with their teens' online experiences, a policy gap remains for the Democrats to address within their inclusive public policy platform.
Implementing a parental consent model for teen downloads isn't just popular, it's also the most effective way to safeguard teens on social media while empowering parents and guardians. This policy ensures parents control the digital content their children access, addressing a widespread concern and demonstrating the party's commitment to family values.
A federal solution requiring parental consent through the App Store centralizes the consent process, limiting the sharing of private information more effectively than an app-by-app approach. A universal parental consent mechanism simplifies the process for parents and reduces the risk of privacy breaches from sharing sensitive data across multiple platforms. Parents can efficiently control access without repeatedly submitting sensitive information for each app by centralizing age verification and parental approvals in the App Store.
Parents know what is best for their teens, and the Democrats can earn parents' trust by putting them in the driver's seat. Taking a strong stance on this issue allows the Democratic Party to present itself as the champion of parental empowerment, gaining the trust and support of parents nationwide.
Empowering parents through federal parental consent legislation for app downloads is a vital step toward ensuring age-appropriate online experiences and reinforcing family values. This issue transcends party lines, giving Democrats an opportunity to empower parents. By championing this cause, Democrats can make it clear who really stands for family values.
• Jesse Tello is a software engineer from Chicago. He is a volunteer in the River North community, and he is passionate about helping kids and animals. He is a volunteer for PAWS, and he is an avid jujitsu instructor.