Parents Should Control Apps

Originally published at Dallas Morning News. 

RE: “Congress can learn from Texas’ app law,” by David Dunmoyer of Texas Public Policy Foundation, June 18 Opinion.​
Dunmoyer argues that Senate Bill 2420 empowers parents; instead, it expands government by creating a state-mandated age-verification system that requires collecting personal information and linking minors to parental accounts.

Parents should decide what their children access online. That responsibility belongs to families, not government bureaucracies.

Supporters of SB 2420 assume social media and apps are harming children. Much of the evidence shows correlation, not causation.

Policymakers should be cautious about restricting liberty based on conjecture rather than clear proof. Parents already have tools to monitor devices, restrict downloads, use parental controls and decide whether their children have smartphones at all.

The difference between markets and government matters. Families can delete apps, switch platforms and stop using services they dislike. Businesses that fail consumers can lose customers and disappear. Government mandates are far harder to escape.

If we want stronger families, we should encourage parental responsibility, protect privacy and resist another attempt to let government run more of our lives.