Alabama has a long tradition of upholding strong family values, and in today's digital age, these principles are more important than ever. With devices like phones, laptops, and tablets, kids have endless information at their fingertips. This is a reality and means our children have the opportunity to learn faster and communicate faster, but of course new, rapidly changing technologies come with risks.

One of the biggest threats to parents like me today is dangerous and explicit content on the internet. As a parent, I know how important it is to take an active role in keeping our children safe online. It means understanding and leveraging the resources at our disposal to protect children and communicating with them about how to tailor their online experiences to their specific needs. .

That's why I'm concerned about a bill sponsored by some members of the Alabama Legislature that would undermine these goals by requiring new devices to be equipped with so-called “content filters.” While these kinds of suggestions may be well-intentioned, there are actually more effective and practical ways to protect children without leaving child-rearing roles to the government.

First, mandating content filters on new devices is not a practical way to block dangerous online content. The technology needed to selectively enable filters before unboxing a device purchased for a child does not exist, and even if it did, most experts agree with such a law. doing. Many There are constitutional concerns and it is likely to be struck down in court. That doesn't mean there isn't a role for governments to protect children from harmful content.in other state In states such as Louisiana and Virginia, elected officials have tried to solve the problem by passing laws mandating websites known to post explicit content. adopted an approach. Check user age.

But in addition to the technical limitations of device filter laws, there are other fundamental problems with government-mandated content bans outright.

Compared to other solutions aimed at protecting children online, device filters risk minimizing the role that parents like me play in raising our children.For example, consider a law that was passed florida This requires teaching children about online harm and responsible device and social media use. In Utah, Gov. Spencer Cox led by example and launched a public service announcement campaign to warn children about online dangers. These efforts demonstrate that parents can play a major role in their children's education by having open and honest conversations about online dangers and using tools like parental controls to block explicit content. I encourage it.

The device filter bill will be the opposite. The simple fact is that parents need to be able to make choices that they know will meet their child's individual needs. We should not encourage governments to pass laws that undermine the role of parents in their children's lives by letting bureaucrats make uniform decisions about what content should be published online. In the end, a legal solution may not be needed at all or just a legal solution. educate voters We will discuss all the publicly available tools and resources that are readily available on the market today.

I know how difficult it is to raise children in the face of constant online threats. And of course, protecting children from explicit and dangerous content is every parent's goal. But that doesn't mean broad government mandates are the right answer to the problem. Instead, we need legislators to look to other successful initiatives that have made real progress in protecting children while empowering parents to do what's best for their children. .

Donna Skipper is the chairwoman of the East Alabama Republican Women.