Congress to Introduce Parental Rights Legislation to Protect Kids Online

WASHINGTON— On the heels of the Utah state legislature passing a first-in-the-nation online parental rights legislative measure, Utah Senator Mike Lee (R) will reintroduce his App Store Accountability Act in the U.S. Senate.

With an overwhelming bipartisan vote count of 64-3 in support of the measure, the Utah state legislature passed the bill that would require app stores to obtain parental approval before teens can download apps and requiring app stores to use the information they already have to verify users’ ages without collecting additional.

“Yeah!” Sen. Lee told Cactus Politics when asked if he would be introducing his bill in the U.S. Senate

Sen. Lee also said that he recently spoke to Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R) about the passing of the bill, where the senior senator from Utah said that he was “thrilled about the fact that it passed,” adding,” It’s a good thing and I think there are other states that will likely follow.”

Lee contends that Utah’s bill and other similar legislation in other states will “likely help the need for federal legislation,” adding that federal legislation would operate “on an interstate basis, interstate system.”

Texas Rep. Chip Roy (R), who said he wanted to speak to Sen. Lee more about his measure,  also reiterated the need to protect children from online predation, saying that kids were “sitting ducks” to a slew of online threats.

“We need to protect our kids, and frankly, protect ourselves, from the constant barrage that is apps and social media and all the things that we’ve got going on,” said Rep. Roy.

“Our kids are just sitting ducks, and not just for online predators, and drugs, and stuff, but also the addictive nature of it.”

In Florida, freshman Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R) more is needed to protect children online because the “influence that that phone has is powerful” and kids are always finding “creative” ways around blockers, and in doing so, open themselves up to online threats.

Why wouldn't we had just like you have ratings on movies and the same things to be held online, because you cannot even go down to all different paths and online,” said Rep. Haridopolos. “And even when you had your blockers on, kids are creative, and they're finding ways around it. And so it's something we have to look at, because the influence that that phone has is powerful.”

Rep. John James (R) recently told The Floridian that he would be launching his own online protection bill in the House of Representatives.