Should parents in Idaho have a say in app downloads for teens? • Idaho Capital Sun

This year I had a new experience as a father: raising a teenager who has his own phone. My wife and I were reserved compared to the parents of many of our son’s friends, but when he turned 16 we knew it was inevitable. Smartphones are deeply integrated into our society, for better or worse, and we didn’t want to deter him from the social and educational benefits that phones can offer youth.

Our hesitation came largely from fear after hearing too many stories about teenagers being negatively influenced by online content or being exploited by malicious strangers online. This is where my first job, father, overlaps with my day job. It’s important to equip parents – not bureaucrats – with better tools to protect their children online.

Earlier this year, I wrote about actions taken at the state level to address this issue. Lawmakers in states like Utah and Florida tried to make youth safety a priority by strengthening protections for teens. However, the digital world knows no state borders, which means federal lawmakers must do their part to avoid a patchwork system that offers easy workarounds for tech-savvy teenagers.

One such proposal is to require app stores to obtain parental consent before teens can download new apps. This approach could implement an important layer of security, allowing parents to better monitor their child’s phone and block app downloads that violate the rules they have set for their teens.

There has been significant movement in Congress since I last wrote about this policy. U.S. Rep. John James, R-Michigan, recently proposed an app store change to two proposed online safety laws, the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens, during a recent vote on the Energy and Commerce Committee ‘ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0). ) and has announced plans to introduce standalone legislation when Congress returns next month.

In his testimony, Rep. James noted that Apple and Google’s app marketplaces already have the mechanisms in place to implement this policy, stating, “The Apple and Google app stores already impose age-based content restrictions.” [apps]Filter online content and control privacy settings.” He also pointed out that in most cases, age rating works this way: The store is responsible for verifying IDs and blocking access to underage teenagers. For this reason, Rep. James argues, “Going through Apple and Google would leverage proven policies to accomplish this.” [app] Invite the addictive or harmful products by age limits.”

Rep. James is a junior member of the committee, which could indicate an uphill battle for his legislation. However, Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Washington, has expressed support for the bill and said the committee supports Rep. James’ efforts. This is an extremely positive sign as the Energy and Commerce Committee is the primary starting point for technology-oriented policies in the US House of Representatives.

This progress comes at a good time, as another youth safety proposal faces significant opposition from Speaker Mike Johnson. The Kids Online Safety Act has raised serious concerns about a provision that would give the Federal Trade Commission the authority to determine what online content is “harmful” to teens. This vague, broad provision opens the door to state censorship. Given Speaker Johnson’s comments that the Kids Online Safety Act is “very problematic,” this bill is unlikely to receive a vote in the House without major changes.

The App Store proposal is not without critics who believe this policy doesn’t do “enough” to protect our youth and others who believe the government should simply enforce laws that already exist. We don’t disagree, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an important idea to discuss.

This problem is bigger than any single policy. Requiring parental consent in app stores could be the bipartisan solution that will greatly help parents like me who worry about not having adequate oversight of what content their children are interacting with on their phones.