Earlier this month, the Alabama Senate took important steps to solidify a pro-parent approach to protecting our children in the digital sphere. The App Store Accountability Act or Senate Bill 187, sponsored by Senator Clyde Chambliss and Representative Chris Sells, would require app stores be held accountable and require parental consent before children can download apps.
While Senate Bill 187 passed resoundingly out of the Senate with a 26-6 vote, the App Store Accountability Act now awaits a House committee hearing and floor vote. For years, House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter has shown himself to be an advocate for families and parental rights; he should not stop now because there is no better time to protect our children from the digital version of what we already protect them from in the physical world. And Senate Bill 187 would do just that.
Utah recently passed the App Store Accountability Act – becoming the first in the nation to make these commonsense requirements for parental consent law. Alabama would join Texas, Louisiana, South Carolina, and other states wanting to instill these tools for parents to better monitor what their children are doing on their devices.
At large, Alabama parents across the state overwhelmingly support the App Store Accountability Act. A recent poll commissioned by the Alabama Policy Institute found that 83% of Alabama parents support requiring app stores to obtain parental approval before children download apps.
Even better, this approach has broad bipartisan support – with 89% of Republicans and 75% of Democrats and Independents supportive of app store parental consent. Extensive support also exists across community type here in the Yellowhammer State, where 85% of rural and small-town voters, as well as nearly 8-in-10 suburban and urban voters support the requirement.
If there is one thing we can agree on in Alabama, it is protecting our children. The bipartisan nature of age verification and parental approval speaks to its importance and effectiveness.
While Big Tech companies like Apple would prefer not be held accountable, the reality is they already have the tools that could help parents! Requiring app stores to use the information they already have for parental approval before children download apps will put parents back in the driver’s seat when it comes to their child’s online safety and wellbeing.
The question Speaker Ledbetter and others should be asking is why these companies are so hesitant to proactively turn these features on to protect the safety and well-being of Alabama’s youth.
The App Store Accountability Act not only protects our children, it protects our inherent parental rights and liberties. App store level age verification also protects minors from all types of apps – including those parents might not even know about.
Parental consent at the app store level takes the guessing out of managing our children’s internet exposure and makes parents the ultimate decision makers – not the government.
As a mother and steadfast advocate for the foundational values of faith, family, and freedom – I believe this kind of legislation is crucial now. Not next year, but now.
Every single day that we wait to enforce online protections for our children, the more they face the risk of early and accidental exposure to potentially life-altering content.
I urge Speaker Ledbetter to once again stand with parents and allow Alabama House members the opportunity to vote on Senate Bill 187, the App Store Accountability Act, to protect children online and strengthen the rights of parents.
Stephanie Smith is the President and CEO of the Alabama Policy Institute.
