THE BOOM of social media has had a profound impact on this generation’s teens, becoming an inescapable part of everyday life. As a parent and someone deeply involved in the community, I see it every day.

Whether for socializing, community-building, or educational resources, social media has some clear benefits for young people. However, active, common sense precautions must be taken to ensure minors are having age-appropriate online experiences when navigating these platforms.

During my time in elected office and in my community work since, one of my highest priorities has been to protect the well-being of children and keep them out of harm’s way. Today’s technology presents us with a unique set of challenges and we must proactively find ways to improve children’s online safety.

Just like anything else in life – playing a sport, visiting a friend, joining a club – parents are instrumental in deciding what activities are appropriate for their kids to participate in. It shouldn’t be any different when it comes to social media.

To best equip parents with the tools to ensure their kids have safe and age-appropriate online experiences, we need federal regulation for parental safety – something streamlined that avoids a patchwork that could vary by state or even by app.

The simplest and safest solution is a parental approval requirement that starts at the app store, the central hub where users download apps. This approach enables parents to approve their kids’ social media app downloads for users under the age of 16. A key aspect of this approach is its ability to not require users to share sensitive private information repeatedly across countless apps.  Age verification can be set up the moment the device is activated, so parents can set their own safety measures with the device itself and avoid giving personal information to each and every platform.

Right now, various states are introducing regulations to have individual apps verify a user’s age before they can create an account. But with different variations popping up week after week, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for parents and guardians to keep up with parental control settings and verifications across each app. Our current patchwork system that varies state to state is inconsistent and leaves some kids vulnerable to potentially age-inappropriate content.

A federally regulated verification system puts the decisions in the hands of parents. They can decide when it’s right or wrong for their teens to download apps in the most streamlined manner. Parents can better ensure their kid is having a safe online experience, while simultaneously avoiding giving platforms too much personal information.

The age of social media is here to stay. This regulatory fix is the best way to give parents the tools they need to take care of their kids in an ever-changing online world.

Annissa Essaibi George, a former Boston city councilor, is president and CEO of Big Sister Boston.