As both a small business owner and a mom who sits on a school board, I have a front-row seat to the digital challenges facing our youth and the realities of running a business in today’s economy. I am thankful that SB 5708 did not pass this year’s legislative session, as it managed to be both alarmingly overreaching for business owners while simultaneously missing the mark on truly protecting our children.

I kept an especially close eye on this bill because of the direct impact it would have had on my small business, Nansen Florals. Like many small businesses in Southwest Washington, I rely on social media and digital platforms to connect with customers. Businesses like mine use targeted advertising to reach customers who otherwise wouldn’t be reachable with our limited resources.

Under SB 5708, my ability to effectively reach my customers would have been severely hampered by restrictions on “addictive feeds” — essentially banning the algorithms that help match my floral arrangements with people most likely to be interested in them. I would have also been barred from sending notifications during school hours and late evening – prime times when busy parents are actually able to plan ahead for birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions.

The cost of compliance with these vague regulations would have fallen disproportionately on small business owners like me who don’t have legal departments or IT teams to rebuild our digital presence. We would be forced to either risk non-compliance or invest resources we simply don’t have to overhaul our online operations.

But what frustrates me most is that despite these burdens on Washington’s small businesses, the bill ultimately failed at its primary goal — protecting our children online.

As a school board member, I’ve watched our students navigate the complex digital landscape, and I understand parents’ legitimate concerns. But SB 5708’s approach was fundamentally backward. Rather than adding yet another layer of confusing regulations that varies from platform to platform, we need a simple, universal solution that truly empowers parents.

The most practical and effective approach would be requiring parental approval at the app store level — the single gateway through which all applications must pass. This would give parents one streamlined point of control rather than forcing them to navigate different settings across countless platforms. It would prevent teens from downloading inappropriate apps in the first place, rather than trying to regulate the infinite ways those apps might engage them after the fact.

I’ve spoken with parents across our district who tell me the same thing — they don’t want more government regulation dictating exactly how their children can use technology. They want better tools to make those decisions themselves.

Let’s be honest about what SB 5708 really was – a feel-good measure that allows politicians to claim they’re “doing something” about online safety while creating real economic harm to small businesses and offering little practical help to parents. We’ve already seen similar laws in other states face immediate constitutional challenges, costing taxpayers millions with nothing to show for it.

Small business owners need a regulatory environment that lets me connect with my customers. As a school board member, I need real solutions that protect our students. And as a Washingtonian, I need legislation that doesn’t waste our tax dollars on inevitably futile legal battles.

SB 5708 failed on all these counts. Our children and our businesses deserve better in the next legislative session.

Nansen Malin is a business owner, parent, grandparent and school board member who lives in Seaview, Washington. She advises businesses, families and influencers on issues and the use of social media. @nansen on X (twitter).