NILES, Mich. -- A bipartisan bill package has been introduced by State Representative Brad Paquette (R-Niles) and State Senator John Cherry (D-Flint) to protect children from mature content online.

The bill, if passed, would implement a decision-based age verification mechanism allowing parents to have parental control and require guardian consent for minors' downloads.

“This legislation will make significant strides to protect children online as both sides of the aisle recognize the urgent priority,” Paquette said.

“We are drawing from successful approaches used across the country. Our hope is that our colleagues see this proposal for what it is – model legislation on how to navigate this problem.”

The bill aims to solve legal issues and the lack of consistency in online age verification technology by eliminating repeated data sharing across multiple services while enhancing privacy.