AB 1043 will protect children online

OPINION – Every week at The Source LGBT+ Center, I meet young people who found us through online searches and social media. For these youth, online communities often serve as their first opportunity to see themselves reflected and accepted. In a world where many LGBTQ+ young people still face rejection at home or in their local communities, digital spaces provide crucial access to information, support, and connection that can quite literally save lives.

California now has an opportunity to protect these vital online spaces while also ensuring appropriate safeguards for children through Assembly Bill 1043, the Digital Age Assurance Act. As numerous states rush to regulate children’s internet access, this thoughtful legislation shows how we can balance safety with the critical needs of vulnerable youth.

These digital connections aren’t just convenient—for many young LGBTQ+ people, they’re essential for survival.

That’s why I’m cautiously watching as states across the country rush to regulate children’s internet access. While the intent to protect children is admirable, many of these approaches threaten to cut vulnerable youth off from communities and resources they desperately need.

California is leading the way with a better approach. Assembly Bill 1043, the Digital Age Assurance Act introduced by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks and Senator Tom Umberg, shows that we can protect children online without sacrificing essential resources for vulnerable youth.

Instead of implementing platform-by-platform age verification that requires extensive personal data collection, AB 1043 focuses on app store-level verification. This approach creates appropriate safeguards while maintaining privacy and access. For users under 16, app stores must obtain parental consent before allowing downloads, adding an important protective layer without creating unnecessary barriers.

What makes this approach unique is its balanced consideration of both safety and access. The bill doesn’t require content filtering that might block LGBTQ+ information. It doesn’t demand that platforms collect sensitive personal data. Instead, it creates age-appropriate protections while ensuring teens can still access the resources they need.

At The Source LGBT+ Center, we support young people daily who have found acceptance, community, and life-saving information online that wasn’t available elsewhere. For a young person questioning their identity in an unsupportive environment, access to accurate information about gender and sexuality isn’t just educational—it can be the difference between isolation and connection, between despair and hope.

California has long been a leader in both technological innovation and LGBTQ+ rights. With AB 1043, we have the opportunity to lead again by showing how thoughtful regulation can protect children without endangering vulnerable youth. We can demonstrate to other states that the false choice between child safety and access to important resources is unnecessary when legislation is crafted with care and nuance.

As states across the country grapple with these same questions, California’s example matters more than ever. By supporting AB 1043, our legislators can show that protecting children online doesn’t require sacrificing the digital connections that serve as lifelines for LGBTQ+ youth.

I urge California legislators to support this thoughtful, balanced approach to online safety that protects all young people, including those most vulnerable. Let’s show the nation that with careful consideration, we can create online protections that work for everyone.

Brian Poth is the co-founder and Executive Director of The Source LGBT+ Center, the largest LGBT Center between Los Angeles and Sacramento.