Here's how we can better protect NJ kids Online
By: Giselle Cornwell
Your Turn
Guest columnist
..... As a parent, there's nothing I wouldn't do to protect my kids. and recently, that meant traveling to our nation's cap;ital to speak with lawmakers about a bill that would make a real difference in Online safety for families like mine.
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That bill is called the App Store Accountability Act, and when I met with the officers of New Jessey Representatives Josh Gottheimer and Frank Pallone, I explained why this bill deserve bipartisan support.
..... I didn't go as a policy wonk - that's mot me. I went as a mom from Matawan, {NJ} trying to raise her kids right and content them from inappropriate and potentially dangerous Online content. The App Store Accountability Act would help me do precisely that.
..... I am far from alone in feeling his way. A recent poll of New Jersey voters found that 87% of parents support requiring app stores to verify users' ages and obtain parental approval before minors can downland apps. Support crossed party lines, with Republicans, Democrats and independents all overwhelmingly agreeing that parents should have a role in these decisions.
..... Currently, parents have to navigate safety concerns app by app. One platform has one set of rules, and another has something completely different. Some settings may be easy to find, while others are buried. The safeguards of one app may be rock-solid, while another's are easy to exploit. Staying up to speed on every safety update and change would be a full-time job. That is too much to put on parents. The App Store Accountability Act offers parents a simpler, more consistent place to start. Instead of having parents figure out, implement and manage different safety controls for each app their children want to use, the ASAA would cerate a single safety verification process within the app store itself. One clear and consent protocol rather than dozens.
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Any age verification system should be implemented through fully and with privacy protections in mind. But parents deserve a simpler way to understand and manage the apps their children download. for many kids, the app store is the front door to their Online world, so it makes sense to have safety checks and age verification there. Just as movie theaters restrict minors from seeing R-rated movies, gatekeepers exist to keep kids safe and limit their exposure to inappropriate continent. Why should the app store have different rules?
..... I want to be clear that I am not against social media. Far from it. I use these platforms every day as a content creator. I know the good they can do. Social media can help people connect, share stories, find ideas and build community.
..... But because I am close to social media, I also understand the risks. I known how quickly content can spread and how easily apps can be misused. Not to mention that kids are smart. They talk, and when one app has weak guardrails, kids find ways around them. The answer isn't to shelter our children away. That's unhelpful and unrealistic. Rather, we should encourage them to use technology in a healthy way that fosters creativity, curiosity, independence and, crucially, safety.
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The app store Accountability Act would give families a clearer, more consistent way froward. It would not solve every problem Online, and no law can replace involved parenting. But it would give parents a toll that actually works in real life. That is what I told lawmakers in Washington. I went there as a mom, but I know I am not the only parent who feels this way.
..... At a time when Washington seems divided on almost everything, empowering parents should be the easy part. Giving moms and dads a say before their children download apps in not a Republican idea or a Democratic idea. It is a parenting idea.
..... Families in Matawan and across New Jersey are trying to raise good kids in a complicated digital world. We need a system that works with parents, not against us. Congress should pas the App Store Accountability Act.
..... Giselle Cornwell is a Matawan resident, a mother of two, and an influencer and content creator.