As a mother of five, social media content creator, and the founder of Pharmacy Mentors – a platform that supports pharmacy professionals through mentorship, education, and community – I’ve been intentional about how I introduce my children to social media and the online world. They’re naturally curious about having social media accounts and downloading new apps, and by involving them in small ways in my own online work – like content brainstorming and light content creation – these tasks help them see the creative and professional side of the internet. My goal is to show my children that being on social media and using apps isn’t just for entertainment – it can be a powerful way to build community, share ideas, and grow something meaningful. At the same time, I have regular conversations about online safety, screen time boundaries, and being thoughtful about what we consume and create with all of my five kids, from my youngest 6-year-old to my oldest 13-year-old.
Even with our conversations, however, I still worry about potential dangers online that are outside of my control. Educating my kids about healthy digital habits and responsible online behavior can only go so far, and I can’t control every single aspect of what they consume online when I’m not around, whether it’s at school or with friends. For example, I know there are messaging apps out there that kids use to communicate that look like familiar apps, and even digital savvy parents like myself may not realize the dangers and that they should be monitoring who their kids are talking to on the apps. Another issue I think about is the reliability of age verification and the potential for users who could be using a false age to communicate with teens. Since as of right now, there isn’t a central place to verify age, and it’s left up to different systems on individual apps, I worry that this could lead to inappropriate experiences for my children online.
My children’s safety is my number one priority, and I know the other parents in my community feel the same way. I believe that it’s extremely important for parent’s voices to be heard, especially when it comes to legislation that affects our families and our children. There are two bills moving through the legislature that would help keep kids safe online: SB 2420 by Senator Angela Paxton and HB 4901 by Representative Caroline Fairly. SB 2420 passed in the House and Senate and would ensure parents have more control over their children’s activity online by both verifying their age and requiring parental consent before the child would be able to download an app. This age verification and parental approval would be required to take place in the parent’s phone’s app store, and I think having one place for this as opposed to a different system on every single app is a much better approach. Not only is it streamlined, it’s also an easy solution for busy parents.
Finding the balance between letting my children enjoy the benefits of connection and learning online, and the risk of them being exposed to unsafe content is tough. Legislation that streamlines age verification and parental approval makes me feel more confident in my ability to monitor my children’s online activity while letting them explore the benefits of being online, and I hope Governor Abbott takes my experience as a Texas parent into account and signs SB 2420 into law.
Dr. Sue Ojageer is a clinical pharmacist from Dallas, Texas. She is the founder of Pharmacy Mentors, a platform designed to provide support, resources, and industry connections for other pharmacists.