Ask any parent about managing their children’s online safety, and you’ll hear a common frustration: the current system is needlessly complicated, forcing us to navigate different settings and verification processes across countless platforms.

As both a mother and someone who works with families across Hawai‘i, I see how this complexity creates real barriers for parents trying to protect their kids.

Fortunately, Hawai‘i’s legislature is taking action. Senate Bill 1542 would require app stores to verify users’ ages, provide parents with tools to block unsuitable apps, and obtain parental consent before minors can download applications.

This is exactly the kind of streamlined protection our families need.

Working parents already juggle enough responsibilities without having to become experts in each platform’s unique privacy settings and parental controls. We’re expected to verify our children’s age separately for every app, share sensitive personal information multiple times, and somehow keep track of different security settings across dozens of platforms.

SB 1542 will change that.

The digital world is where our children connect with their friends, do their homework, and increasingly, build their future opportunities. When we make it too difficult for parents to manage their children’s online presence, we risk either cutting young people off from valuable resources or leaving them without proper protection.

Neither outcome serves our families — which is why our state legislators must vote in favor of the more efficient solution.

In my work with local organizations, I’ve seen how the current approach particularly impacts working families in our communities. Many parents work multiple jobs or face technical barriers.

They want to protect their children online, but get overwhelmed by the complex web of different platform requirements. Some simply give up, leaving their children either unprotected or unable to access important digital resources.

Instead of forcing parents to navigate different systems for each app, we could have one secure point of control. Think about it: Requiring parents to verify their child’s age on every single platform is like asking them to install a different security system for every room in their house, when all they really need is one good system at the front door.

The app store approach simply makes sense for busy families.

We need solutions at both the state and federal level that respect both parents’ time and children’s safety. Online risks don’t stop at state borders, and while SB 1542 would create a single, straightforward way for parents to approve their children’s app downloads in Hawai‘i, parents and children around the country will still struggle to strike the right balance.

We need federal legislation that brings parental controls to the app-store to ensure comprehensive protection nationwide, ensuring no child falls through the cracks of competing state legislation.

The technology for this solution already exists. App stores already help parents manage their children’s purchases and screen time. SB 1542 would build on these existing capabilities, requiring age verification, content ratings, and parental controls by 2027.

When federal lawmakers introduced similar legislation last session, they showed they understood what families need. Now it’s time for action.

I urge our state legislators to pass SB 1542, and Congress to reintroduce and pass federal legislation requiring app store-level verification.

This isn’t just about convenience — it’s about creating a system that actually works for real families trying to keep their children safe in today’s digital world.