This op-ed was originally published in Forbes.
For parents today, the world is drastically different than the one they grew up in. While the proliferation of connected technologies has created countless opportunities for children to learn and experience the world, there are very serious risks for kids if they don’t enter the digital world safely. This can often feel overwhelming for parents. The good news is that companies can take real measures to help parents navigate the digital environment and give their kids the opportunities to benefit from all that technology has to offer.
Some high-profile stories have highlighted just how risky the digital world can be for kids and teens. The risks include harmful interactions with adults online, harmful content delivered to vulnerable teens and even AI chatbots forming dangerous romantic relationships with minors. It’s no wonder parents and policymakers want to take action.
However, I believe some of the mobile app age verification bills in states like Texas, Utah and Louisiana, along with proposed legislation at the national level, miss the target and actually make the situation worse. These bills require app stores to verify the age of a user before the app is downloaded. On the surface, this sounds like a great idea, yet doing this the way the bill mandates requires the device to collect data about the user’s age and then share it with each and every app they download.
We should enhance privacy standards for children, not require more data to be shared. What’s more, because the bills mandate age verification at the single point of the app store, it’s easy enough to work around. For example, a user can avoid app store restrictions by going onto a shared family computer instead of their own personal device.
How Businesses Can Help Kids And Parents
The good news is that business leaders who develop and deploy technology can take real steps to help protect kids online with helpful safeguards that put parents in control. Here are a few steps companies can take:
Prioritize Children’s Privacy
Securing the privacy of our kids and teens should be paramount for all companies. With any step taken regarding kids online, companies should ask whether it enhances or degrades a child’s privacy. If the answer is that it degrades privacy, the company should reexamine it very carefully to make sure the benefit is worth the cost. Most of the time, it won’t be.
Make Parental Controls As Easy And Streamlined As Possible
Many companies offer very good settings specifically for children that offer enhanced privacy and security as well as restrictions on functions and access. These tools can work wonderfully if they’re properly set up and maintained. However, there is also a fairly large disparity between how tech-savvy individual parents are; some are tech whizzes themselves, while others aren’t.
A child’s digital safety should not depend on their parents’ digital capabilities. This is why having a very clear and streamlined process can go a long way. Specific steps could include things like maximum privacy settings by default, integrated family accounts, updated age ratings and the ability for parents to easily update their child’s information if they did not set it up correctly or if they are using a hand-me-down device.
It’s also good business. Speaking as a consumer myself, I have set up three different devices for children with child safety features from three different companies. One was clear, simple and easy to use. The other two took much longer and required more independent research on my part. The first one instilled much more trust and confidence, and I would be much more likely to purchase from that company the next time.
Empower Parents With Knowledge And Tools
Ultimately, we want parents and families to be in charge of their kids’ access online. Every family has different rules and standards, and there is no universal one-size-fits-all. It also means parents can have conversations with their kids to help navigate what can often be an unclear environment.
Companies should empower parents with the ability to understand the decisions they have to make when it comes to their kids and the tools to be able to put those decisions into action. Many companies already have these types of tools in place, whether it’s app stores at the point of purchase or social media and gaming platforms in the program. Companies should continue to iterate and further develop these tools but also make sure guardians and educators know about those tools and, more importantly, how to use them.
Be Responsible For Your Position In The Technology Stack
As Shane Tews of the American Enterprise Institute explained, the technology stack refers to the combination of layers that make up our digital experience:
1. Hardware such as smartphones, laptops and gaming consoles
2. Software that includes programs and operating systems
3. Content providers that include app developers, streaming services, social media platforms and gaming services
Tews noted that “the key difference is who controls what.” As we work to increasingly keep kids safer online, companies need to step up and be responsible (and accountable) for the level in the technology stack that they have the most access and control over.
For example, the manufacturer of a device—such as a video game console or tablet—cannot determine whether a game or video contains inappropriate content for kids without information from the game or app where it’s coming from. It’s the developer providing the game or app that has the knowledge to make that call because of where it lies in the technology stack.
There is no foolproof way or single thing that can be done to keep our kids safe online. However, by all working together and everyone playing their part, we can go a long way and continually work toward improving the digital world for kids.
James Lamond is the Executive Director of Trusted Future, a Washington-based think tank focused on technology policy.
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