Kids need online safety solutions that actually work

Nothing should come before keeping our kids safe and healthy. As social media has become an ever-present daily life, with kids and teenagers at the forefront, parents are having trouble keeping up. We need legislation that readies parents for an increasingly digital world and provides the groundwork to stay up to date with their kids' online lives.

I believe federal app store legislation would provide our families with the consistent, effective tools they need to navigate this challenge.

The families I represented in Calumet City's First Ward include many working parents who simply don't have the time to become tech experts. They need a straightforward approach to ensure their children's safety online. By requiring parental approval at the app store, parents will have a streamlined ability to approve or deny what apps their children are using. Once a parent feels their child is ready to engage with a certain app, they can approve a download.

The current approach of state-by-state regulation of social media platforms isn't working. When our kids cross neighboring state lines to visit relatives, they suddenly fall under completely different online protection rules — if any exist at all. This regulatory patchwork creates confusion for families and exploitable loopholes for tech companies.

The current patchwork approach also creates economic disadvantages for our local businesses. When different states have different rules, national corporations can afford compliance teams to navigate the complexity, but small businesses — including many in our community — cannot. A single federal standard would level the playing field.

We need practical solutions, not more bureaucracy. App store verification offers exactly that — a straightforward checkpoint that puts parents back in control. Think about it: one-time verification when setting up a phone versus juggling dozens of different platforms with constantly changing privacy policies. For our hardworking families, balancing multiple jobs, this time-saving approach makes all the difference.

The loudest voices against legislating for child safety online say it will restrict freedom online, but this approach ensures our children can benefit from technological advances while being protected from their potential harms. Some children greatly benefit from finding community or educational resources online- this type of safeguard recognizes those benefits, and simply puts parents in a position to decide when their kid is ready.

For communities like Calumet City, federal app store legislation isn't just sensible policy — it's an essential step toward digital equity. It would ensure that all families, regardless of income or language, have access to the same baseline protections for their children online.

I call on our federal representatives to champion legislation requiring app stores to verify age and obtain parental consent for minors downloading social media applications. Our children deserve protection that doesn't change when they cross state lines, and our parents deserve tools that actually work in their busy, complex lives.

• Mike Navarrete is a former Calumet City alderman. He has worked on numerous public safety concerns in his capacity as a city official.