The conversations around keeping kids safe online involve a lot of nuance. While everyone wants to protect children from the perils of the digital age, the proposed remedies differ drastically and disagree on whether the government or parents should make decisions for families, and what solutions will be most effective. The solemn and profound responsibility of parents has never been more clear—they are best positioned to safeguard their children.

The Pelican Institute is committed to empowering parents through education and advocacy. Families flourish when armed with the resources necessary to navigate the complexities of life in the digital age. As such, we have addressed a number of issues pertaining to children’s online safety and misguided efforts by the government to do what parents and the free market are better able to do. Check out this comprehensive parent guide and review additional articles we’ve written regarding this important topic below.

Something We Can All Agree On: When considering the ongoing debate around social media and internet related legislation, one thing is evident: lawmakers and families want to protect children. The momentum behind the desire to keep kids safe can propel innovations within the free market, where tools emerge to help parents walk alongside their children and truly keep them safe.

The Age Verification Dilemma, The Coming of Age Verification: A Classic Tale of Well-Intentioned but Misguided State Legislation: Age Verification legislation relies on the misconception that the internet can be “childproofed.” Behind this false promise lie risks of identity theft, privacy infringement, and government overreach for anyone and everyone who chooses to use certain apps or media.

Warning: Government Overreach: When the Surgeon General issued a health warning for all social media, a menacing label and proposals for new regulation followed. Scaring parents and children will not cure the ills of social media and instead distracts from celebrating its benefits and finding ways to improve where needed.

2025 Tech Policy Forecast: More Youth Safety Legislation that Overpromises and Underdelivers: Efforts to supplant the role of families through regulation take many forms. Here is a guide to some of the newest legislative approaches that promise to solve the risks of the internet, while actually posing greater challenges to all who use it.