,,iv  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #gba  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of
 ,,representatives  ,november #bj1      
#bjai,mr4 ,johnson of ,louisiana 7for   
himself and ,mr4 ,mc,adams7 submitted   
the following resolution2 which was     
referred to the ,committee on ,energy   
and ,commerce  ,,resolution  ,calling   
for the establishment of an app ratings 
board to enforce consistent and accurate
 age and content ratings of apps on     
internet-ready devices and calling on   
technology companies to ensure the      
implementation of user-friendly and     
streamlined parental controls on devices
 used by minors4  ,whereas              
internet-ready devices1 and the         
applications that run on such devices1  
are used by millions of minors daily2   
,whereas the most-downloaded apps often 
include content that is not consistent  
with the age rating or description of   
such apps2 ,whereas clarity in the      
rating of apps is a critical part of    
social responsibility on the part of    

leading technology companies when       
including apps in their databases for   
their users to download2 ,whereas       
parents of minors deserve transparency  
and accuracy in the ratings of apps and 
the meanings behind those ratings2      
,whereas no third-party organization is 
holding app developers accountable to   
ensure that app age ratings are         
consistent and accurate across devices  
and that app descriptions adequately    
explain the content and advertising     
available to minors in such apps2       
,whereas no third-party organization has
 the authority to impose sanctions for  
nondisclosure related to app content and
 advertising2 ,whereas apps contain     
unique risks of both exposure to        
inappropriate content and predators1 so 
a specific app rating system that takes 
these unique risks into account is      
needed2 ,whereas social media is        
increasingly being used to recruit and  
sexually exploit young users for sexual 
abuse or sex trafficking2 ,whereas      

social media is increasingly used for   
sexual harassment and sexualized        
bullying1 including unsolicited sexually
 explicit images1 repeated requests for 
sexually explicit imagery1 sexual images
 that are not consensually shared1 and  
unwanted exposure to pornographic       
images2 ,whereas recent studies indicate
 that excessive use of social media1    
particularly in young girls1 can lead to
 an increase in depressive symptoms2    
,whereas suicide rates1 depression1 and 
mental health issues among adolescents  
in the ,united ,states have been found  
to increase as social media use has     
surged within the same age group2       
,whereas many providers and users of    
interactive computer services covered by
 section #bcj of the ,communications    
,act of #aicd 7#dg ,u4,s4,c4 #bcj71 as  
added by section #eji of the            
,communications ,decency ,act of #aiif1 
have failed to comply with basic best   
business practices in connection with   
the protection of minors from harmful   

content1 therefore instigating interest 
in a review of the status of such       
providers and users under section #bcj  
unless the business practices of such   
providers and users come into alignment 
with reasonable care and best business  
practices of such providers and users   
appropriate for protecting minors2      
,whereas popular apps often do not      
include parental controls or have       
inadequate parental controls2 ,whereas  
the parental controls provided on       
internet-ready devices are often        
insufficient1 ignore the age of users1  
contain loopholes1 and are difficult to 
implement1 leaving minors unprotected   
from sexual abuse and exploitation2 and 
,whereas the improper use of            
internet-ready devices during school    
hours contributes to student distraction
 and lower test scores and the use of   
such devices during bedtime hours can   
lead to sleep disturbance3 ,now1        
therefore1 be it  ,that the ,house of   
,representatives-- 7#a7 calls on        

technology and app development companies
 to establish an app rating board1      
comprised of industry representatives   
and child development1 child protection1
 and internet safety subject matter     
experts to--  7,a7 establish new        
criteria for what content and in-app    
risks result in specified               
age-appropriate app ratings2  7,b7      
review app ratings and descriptions of  
the most-downloaded apps2 and  7,c7     
impose sanctions for noncompliance2 and 
7#b7 calls on technology companies to-- 
7,a7 manufacture internet-ready devices1
 including i,phones1 ,android devices1  
and ,chromebooks1 with user-friendly    
parental controls2  7,b7 close loopholes
 that permit the bypassing of parental  
controls2  7,c7 build in age-based1     
default safety settings2 and  7,d7      
provide selective app shutoff for       
bedtime and school hours4