As Mobile County Sheriff, one of my most important responsibilities is protecting the people of our community. That means responding to crimes after they happen, but also supporting common-sense measures that help prevent harm before it occurs.
Today, one of the greatest challenges facing Alabama families isn’t something happening on our streets. It’s happening on smartphones, tablets and other devices that connect children to a digital world where predators, scammers and harmful content are only a click away.
Parents are doing their best to keep up. But they shouldn’t have to fight this battle alone. That’s why Congress should pass the App Store Accountability Act.
This legislation recognizes a simple reality: children use app stores to download social media, messaging apps, gaming platforms and countless other applications. That makes app stores the most practical place to help parents stay informed and involved in what their children are accessing online.
Recently, a coalition of state attorneys general reached a landmark settlement with Meta that will lead to changes to Instagram and Facebook designed to better protect kids and teens, including tools such as nighttime curfews, screen-time limits and restrictions on certain features.
These protections are a significant win for families, and they should become the standard across the industry. Other major platforms, including YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat, should follow Meta’s lead and provide comparable protections for children.
But protecting children after they have downloaded an app is only part of the solution. Parents should also have meaningful control over whether their children can download these apps in the first place. That’s where the App Store Accountability Act comes in.
Instead of forcing every individual app to create its own age verification process, the App Store Accountability Act establishes one consistent framework that puts parents in control and approve the content they feel is appropriate and in line with their family values. This will create a safer experience from the very beginning.
As those of us in law enforcement know, prevention is always better than response.
Every day, law enforcement across Alabama see the consequences of children being exposed to online exploitation, sextortion, financial scams and adults who use anonymous accounts to target minors. Once those crimes occur, we investigate them aggressively. But no arrest can undo the trauma a child has experienced.
Giving parents better tools before children download apps is one of the smartest investments we can make in prevention.
This isn’t about government deciding what families can or cannot do. Nor is it about limiting innovation or making life harder for responsible technology companies. It’s about ensuring that parents, not billion-dollar tech companies, remain the primary decisionmakers when it comes to their children’s online lives.
Alabama has always believed that strong families build strong communities. Parents deserve meaningful tools to guide their children’s digital lives with the same confidence they guide them everywhere else.
Congress is considering several proposals to improve online safety for children, including the Kids Online Safety Act. Those efforts are encouraging, but they will be even stronger when paired with the App Store Accountability Act. Together, they would create a more complete approach to protecting children online.
We are fortunate that Alabama Senator Katie Britt has consistently made protecting children and strengthening families a priority. I appreciate her leadership on this issue, and I am grateful for her advocacy in the nation’s capital on behalf of our state’s families. I encourage her to continue that strong record of leadership by supporting the App Store Accountability Act. Alabama families deserve practical solutions that give parents more authority over what their children access online.
Technology will continue to evolve. New apps will appear. New threats will emerge. Our commitment to protecting children must evolve as well.
The App Store Accountability Act is a practical, commonsense step that respects parents, supports law enforcement, and puts the safety of our children first. That’s something every Alabamian can get behind.
Paul Burch is the sheriff of Mobile County. A Mobile native and Navy veteran, he has served in law enforcement for more than 36 years and is the only sheriff to have held every rank in the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office.
