By Warren Binford and Jon Kruljac

More than 50 years ago, Colorado led the world in combatting child abuse and exploitation by establishing the first academic center focused on ending these crimes against children. The Kempe Center at the University of Colorado helped lead the effort by proposing new laws and policies that protect children, demystifying taboo topics, and focusing on prevention. 

The strategy worked. Society has made significant progress reducing the physical abuse of children, child sexual abuse, and child homicides. Tragically, the rise of digital technologies in the 21st century is reversing those trends. 

Kids are now experiencing new forms of abuse and exploitation, such as online sextortion, luring, grooming, livestreamed abuse, and cyberbullying. At the same time, certain forms of abuse, such as child sex abuse material (CSAM), are becoming more extreme featuring more infants and toddlers, more bestiality, and more BDSM. Routinely, modern technology is used to facilitate these harms.

It is long past time for society to develop appropriate guardrails to ensure child safety in the digital world, just as we have done in the physical world by adopting thoughtful, evidence-based solutions that prepare them for the modern world while ensuring they survive childhood physically and psychologically intact.

The digital world presents both opportunities and risks for young people. Online platforms can provide educational resources, creative outlets and supportive communities that enhance children’s development. But these same spaces can also expose them to cyberbullying, inappropriate content, and predatory behavior. The challenge is creating protective systems that address genuine risks without denying our kids the benefits of having the world’s information at their fingertips.

This is exactly the kind of complex child protection issue the Kempe Center has been tackling for decades. Just as we’ve learned how effective abuse prevention requires collaboration between families, professionals, and communities, online safety requires partnerships between parents, platforms, and policymakers. And Congress can take a step in the right direction by passing the App Store Accountability Act.

Here’s how the App Store Accountability Act would function: a parent would get a notification request to approve or deny an app for their teen when they try to download it from the App Store. This is a simple first line of defense that keeps parents informed about their children’s digital choices without requiring invasive monitoring or tinkering with an app’s settings. Once an app is approved, children maintain appropriate privacy in how they use it.

This approach addresses several key principles we’ve learned through decades of prevention work. First, it strengthens family protective factors by enhancing communication between parents and children about digital choices. Research consistently shows open family communication is one of the strongest protective factors against various forms of harm.

Second, it recognizes effective child protection requires age-appropriate boundaries rather than absolute restrictions. Children need both safety and autonomy to develop healthy relationships with technology, just as they do in other areas of their lives. The notification system provides oversight without eliminating the independence that supports healthy development.

Third, it leverages existing systems rather than creating new bureaucracies. Just as we’ve learned the most effective prevention programs build on community strengths rather than imposing external solutions, the App Store Accountability Act works with technology families already understand and use.

Colorado has seen various attempts to address online safety through state legislation, but these approaches have not been successful thus far. The federal nature of the App Store Accountability Act ensures consistent standards that work regardless of where families live or how frequently they move — an important consideration for the many families we serve who face housing instability or other challenges.

We encourage Colorado’s congressional delegation to support this important legislation. It offers a pathway to enhanced online safety that aligns with everything we’ve learned about effective child protection — approaches that strengthen families, support healthy development and create environments where all children can thrive.

We understand we must approach online safety not with fear, but with thoughtful, evidence-based approaches.

Warren Binford is a professor and the W.H. Lea Endowed Chair for Justice in Pediatric Law, Policy & Ethics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. These opinions are individually held and are not made on behalf of her institution. Jon Kruljac is chief executive of the Kempe Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization that raises funds and advances policies to support programs and professionals working to build better futures for children.