As an entrepreneur and father of a 10-year-old daughter, I understand how central technology and social media have become for our nation’s youth. Whether they’re staying connected with family and friends or testing out their first business idea, access to the digital world has become fundamental to their upbringing.
And yet, our nation still faces mounting dangers from the digital world that children can become exposed to — from privacy risks to inappropriate content to financial harm. Alarmingly, parents have been left in the dark as to what content their children see, use or download.
Last year, I wrote in the Sun Sentinel about why Florida should empower parents, not lawmakers, when a bill aimed to ban social media for teens. Today, I hold the same belief: Parents should be the ones in the driver’s seat when it comes to overseeing their child’s online presence.
Fortunately, federal lawmakers have proposed a solution to combat online harm and bring parents into the picture — the App Store Accountability Act. This legislation would require app stores to strengthen age verification measures, standardize app age ratings, and obtain parental consent before minors download any app on their devices. This bill would empower parents to protect their kids from harmful online content.
The digital ecosystem is undoubtedly becoming more and more dangerous. Last year, not far from my family’s home in South Florida, a 14-year-old boy named Sewell Setzer III ended his life after developing an unsafe relationship with an AI chatbot. At the time Sewell downloaded the app, it was rated for children 12 and older. Immediately after his passing, the app creator quietly changed the age requirement to a more accurate standard of 17+. Sewell’s mother, Megan Garcia, stated that there were no guardrails in place to protect her son. Sadly, she is right.
Apple and Google rarely verify whether creators have appropriately age-rated their apps available for download on their online stores. One research group inspected 800 apps over a 24-hour period and found that more than a quarter were incorrectly rated as safe for kids. Some apps displayed harmful content rated for children as young as 4 years old.
The problem is that app stores have an inherent conflict of interest when it comes to age ratings: The broader age groups they allow, the more money they make through clicks, shares and purchases. The App Store Accountability Act would change this structure by making parents the chief regulators, not tech companies driven by profit. Further, the current system of age verification is ineffective; any minor can download an age-restricted app by providing a false birthdate. This widely used loophole endangers children and demonstrates that more needs to be done to strengthen age verification mechanisms.
Opponents of the bill argue that requiring a date of birth creates privacy risks. But a birthday isn’t sensitive information, it’s a basic question used in common transactions, such as purchasing alcohol, opening a savings account, or creating a social media profile. In June, the Supreme Court upheld age verification as an “ordinary and appropriate” safeguard for protecting minors. In other words, the App Store Accountability Act isn’t creating new rules, it’s reinforcing the Supreme Court’s decision within the digital marketplace.
Furthermore, app stores already adhere to the most stringent data privacy and security standards. Implementing one centralized age verification would avoid duplicative data collection for all age groups and avoid the need to enter age information into various, smaller, less-protected applications.
Florida is known for its staunch defense of personal freedom and privacy; our lawmakers rejected mask and vaccine mandates and created state laws to further protect the First Amendment. With 93% of Floridians supporting parental consent for app downloads, it’s evident that the App Store Accountability Act is by no means a threat to our freedom. Just as Florida parents want to have a say on what is taught in classrooms, we also want to be involved in reviewing what our children can access online.
One of the greatest aspects of our federal system is that Florida doesn’t have to wait for action in Washington to protect our children. So far, Utah, Texas and Louisiana already have passed state-level legislation holding app stores accountable. Florida can be next.
Greg Aguirre is a parent, entrepreneur and CEO of US Capital Source.