It’s Time for States and Congress to Protect Parental Rights
For nearly two hundred and fifty years, our country and lawmakers have consistently met innovation and societal changes with new policies to meet the challenges of each generation. During my time serving the Commonwealth of Virginia as Attorney General and then as its 68th governor, I learned firsthand the vital role states play in setting the agenda for federal legislation in Washington. That is why I am pleased to see action being taken both by the Virginia General Assembly and Congress to begin the discussion on the impact social media is having on children and families.
The right of parents to engage in the upbringing of their children is taking center stage in our political discussions. The demand by parents in Loudoun County, Virginia for more oversight of how their children are being taught was clear and emphatic. Governor Youngkin’s embrace of parental rights is one main reason he was elected Governor. Likewise, parents are legitimately concerned about the messaging their children are receiving from “Big Media” online.
It is no secret that social media is a constant in the daily lives of America’s youth. A survey from Gallup found that U.S. teens are spending a staggering 4.8 hours per day across social media. This has created a strenuous task for parents across the country who want to ensure they are doing all they can to ensure their children are practicing healthy social media habits. Currently, however, parents aren’t sufficiently equipped with the necessary tools to stay on top of the ever-evolving realm of new social media and internet platforms.
Earlier this week, the Virginia House of Delegates considered Senate Bill 359, titled the “Consumer Data Protection Act”, a bill which aims to help regulate social media access to children. During a committee hearing, the House chose to delay the bill in order to be studied and updated ahead of next year’s legislative session. I commend the General Assembly for their thoughtful consideration of such important issues – including taking the necessary time to study the bill and ensure its approach is what will best help parents monitor their teens’ online activity.
The efforts of Virginia and countless other states in recent months underscore the need for congressional action to rein in and better regulate social media. That starts with empowering parents and listening to what they have to say.
A recent poll found that 81% of U.S. adults are in favor of parental consent for teens to use social media. As Congress looks at a myriad of legislative options, parental consent should be at the forefront of any social media regulation. A common sense approach to do just this would be to increase parental rights by establishing parental consent within app stores before a single social media app is placed on teens’ devices.
Giving parents the final stamp of approval before an app is downloaded would allow for parents to have time to research and approve which apps they allow their teens to use. Today the internet and social media have evolved, and it is clear we must do more to provide greater clarity for Big Tech companies and to provide tools for parents to have greater oversight of their child’s online activity. Parental consent would simply let parents parent, allowing each family to monitor their teens’ online activity, based on their own family values.
Social media has changed the world as we know it. Now is the time for policymakers at the state and federal level to implement regulations to address the way in which teens communicate and establish parental consent to instill healthy social media habits. Governors, legislators, and members of Congress alike have a unique opportunity to advance common sense federal and state legislation to properly protect our children and families.
As Republican and Democrat governors alike from across the country convene in Washington for the National Governors Association this week, providing parents much-needed tools to support healthy social media usage will do wonders for the next generation of leaders.
James S. Gilmore III was the 68th Governor of Virginia and former Attorney General of Virginia
