Lawmakers are increasingly advocating for tighter age verification laws. Some are suggesting that certain applications should require users to provide identification for access, while others are focusing on restricting AI chatbot availability to enhance child safety.
A recent proposal from Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey seeks to mandate that operating system developers, such as Apple, Google, and Microsoft, verify user ages when new devices are being set up.
This is a law decided by parents.
The newly proposed bill, dubbed parents decide what to do, imposes several critical requirements for platform owners. If enacted, these include:
- Clear guidelines stating that platform owners must confirm the ages of all users during device setup. Relying on self-reported birth dates will not suffice; valid proof is essential.
- Custom content controls that enable parents to establish age-appropriate limits on their children’s devices, including restrictions on social media and apps, even extending to AI platforms.
- A mechanism to ensure that all applications installed on the device adhere to these custom controls without exceptions.
- A universal standard across platforms aimed at preventing children from accessing content deemed “harmful” or “explicit” by the government. This could extend to adult materials or interactions with AI chatbots; the terms “harmful” or “hateful” speech are often subjectively defined.
The Parental Determination Act requires these protections to be embedded within all device software, impacting iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS. However, there are uncertainties about enforcement on open-source Linux systems.
Quiet part of the bill
What’s notably absent from the bill’s outline is the mechanism by which platform owners would verify user age. Currently, government-issued ID appears to be the only feasible option. Essentially, this demands that major tech companies create systems to store and validate users’ identities—databases filled with names, dates of birth, physical descriptions, and, naturally, recent photographs.
Concerns have been raised by figures such as Glenn Beck, highlighting the potential risks linked to an extensive digital identification system.
Irony is evident
This proposed bill aligns suspiciously with the agenda of leftist politicians, who persistently advocate for policies perceived as unjust. A prior initiative, the Save America Act, mandates valid ID for voters. Ironically, Gottheimer appears reluctant to suggest valid ID for this age verification bill, which might reveal the contradiction in favoring unfettered voting rights for non-citizens while imposing stringent regulations on ordinary Americans’ access to digital environments.
What’s in the name?
Democrats have a history of misnaming legislation, as seen in the inflation control law, which essentially weaponized the IRS against American citizens.
In keeping with precedent, the Parental Determination Act indicates increased government oversight rather than empowering parental control. It mandates that all users, including adults (recognizing that children typically lack valid identification), must submit a photo ID to confirm their age. Parents cannot exempt their children from this requirement—an indication that this isn’t solely a parental decision.
If the bill truly reflected its title, it wouldn’t even be necessary. Parents should retain the authority to decide their children’s access to internet-connected devices, right?
While the Parental Determination Act may seem to offer protective measures for children, it appears more like a covert method for mass data collection, establishing digital identity databases, and shifting control over young people’s online experiences. The Democratic Party, grappling with diminished influence over the education sector, seems intent on curbing knowledge that doesn’t align with their perspectives.
Bad problem, even worse “solution”
If there’s any consolation in the Parental Determination Act, it’s the acknowledgment that many online spaces can be unsuitable for kids (and let’s face it, oftentimes even adults). Yet, this approach isn’t the answer. Parents ought to have complete agency over their children’s interactions with technology and the internet, not the government. Adult users shouldn’t have to present identification for using their own devices and accessing the internet.
This represents an alarming level of control over devices and internet access, affecting every American.
Gottheimer isn’t alone in this endeavor for age verification—California has also introduced corresponding legislation at the state level, the Digital Age Guarantee Law. Such constraints, unsurprisingly, are common in strongholds of leftist ideologies. Should the federal Parental Determination Act pass, it will require child age verification, affecting everyone—noncompliance would lead to restricted access to phones, laptops, tablets, and the internet.
