Lazy Parents

Several months ago, I penned an opinion on the public outcry to ban certain books from libraries that were deemed inappropriate or offensive for children by certain individuals.  These regulations even went so far as to allow only a one individual to raise a complaint in order to have a book reviewed for banning.  At the time I raised the issue of where the role of the parent fit into all this regulation, and how parents now days would rather have government regulation of their children’s behavior rather than assume the role of good parenting.

Today, the news media reported that a federal judge in Ohio has halted the implementation of a new law that would require children to get parental consent to use social media apps such as FaceBook, TikTok, SnapChat, Meta, X, etc.  In his ruling the judge claimed the law was an infringement on free speech and overly vague.

For me this law was more than that. It was yet another example of lazy parents who feel they have no responsibility in regulating their children’s behavior; an attitude that is clearly borne out by the rise in teenage crimes.

Additionally, there really is no need for such a law.  There is already a function on all smart devices that allows online sites to be blocked from the device.  It’s called “Parental Controls.”  And there is another function called “Delete” which allows the complete removal of an app from the smart device.   However, it is obvious that many parents today don’t want to be perceived as the ‘bad guys’ by their children and simply want to use the scapegoat of government regulation to enforce their online behaviors. 

Well, I can tell what parents should be doing irrespective of any law.  They should assume the ‘bad guy’ role, monitored their kid’s search history, review what apps he/she are using, and if you feel they are inappropriate or being used abusively (bullying), deleted them.  If your children defy you and put them back on their smart device, take the device away.  Simple isn’t it?

News flash for parents, you don’t have to be your kid’s friend or buddy.  Instead love them, nurture them, and for God’s sake take responsibility in monitoring their behavior.  It's called parenting!