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Ucalegonyesterday at 11:15 PM2 repliesview on HN

"Rep Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) announced the Parents Decide Act, bipartisan, commonsense legislation to strengthen online protections for children and give parents greater control over what their kids can access on phones, tablets, and other devices. Gottheimer’s new Parents Decide Act will:

- Require operating system developers like Apple and Google to verify users’ ages when setting up a new device, rather than relying on self-reported ages.

- Allow parents to set age-appropriate content controls from the start, including limiting access to social media, apps, and AI platforms. - Ensure that age and parental settings securely flow to apps and AI platforms, so content is tailored appropriately for children. - Prevent children from accessing harmful or explicit content—including inappropriate AI chatbot interactions—by creating a consistent, trusted standard across platforms."

This is the summary [0] from the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, who seem to be in support of the legislation. I get the feeling the definition of 'operating system' within the legislation isn't how many on HN, or in real life, would define what an OS is, since its implied to be aimed at mobile devices, but we shall see once the actual text is posted.

[0] https://www.benton.org/headlines/rep-gottheimer-announces-bi...


Replies

WarmWashyesterday at 11:40 PM

You know it's bad when they call it the opposite of what it is.

boxedyesterday at 11:20 PM

Seems like legislation should come after senators and members of congress directly call Tim Cook en masse to complain that:

1. Screen time reporting has been 100% broken for decades. Just does not work as advertised. False advertising is indeed illegal.

2. The parental controls are a joke. Can't block apps that were ever downloaded by a member of the household. Don't want the kid to have TikTok? You better not have downloaded it on any device ever.

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