Alabama

Alabama bill empowers parents, protects kids online, and holds app stores accountable: op-ed

Published

2 months ago

January 22, 2026

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Alabama bill empowers parents, protects kids online, and holds app stores accountable: op-ed

This is a guest opinion column

Alabama parents are right to be alarmed about what their children encounter online.

Anxiety, exploitation, compulsive spending, and exposure to adult strangers are documented realities with life-altering consequences. And, unfortunately, these harms are no accident – they’re the deliberate product of an online world designed to profit from kids’ innocence and parents’ unfamiliarity.

Luckily, the Alabama House, led by Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter and Representative Chris Sells, is taking real steps to protect kids online. Last week, the Alabama House opened the 2026 legislative session with a unanimous committee vote to advance House Bill 161, the App Store Accountability Act, a child safety bill supported by more than 170 child advocacy organizations across the country, including Heritage and Moms for Liberty.

House Bill 161 will finally give parents a fighting chance at protecting their kids from bad actors online by establishing clear, enforceable, and parent-centered guardrails that apply equally across the digital ecosystem – no carveouts, no exceptions. Under the bill, app stores would be required to securely verify users’ age and, for underage users, require app stores to get parental approval before children can download apps or make in-app purchases.

In order to ensure parents can make confident decisions of which apps they allow their kids to download, House Bill 161 will also require accurate, transparent age-rating information parents need to make a well-informed choice about whether a platform is appropriate.

These protections are simple but effective. They work within app stores’ secure infrastructure and protect free speech by targeting app stores’ contracting practices – not individual apps’ content.

Most importantly, House Bill 161 is a solution that most Alabama parents actually want. According to a poll by the Alabama Policy Institute, 83 percent of Alabama parents and voters support requiring app stores to get parental approval before children can download apps – one of the key components of House Bill 161. With strong, bipartisan support, House Bill 161 is commonsense legislation that will immediately help Alabama parents.

Apple and Google’s app stores form the gateways to all kinds of online risks. They distribute sexualized AI chatbots, dating and hookup apps, and even apps that appear harmless on the surface, such as rogue Bible or weather apps, that investigations have shown offer children backdoors to obscene content. In the process, they make no distinction between vulnerable youth and consenting adults, brokering contracts between minor users and developers that any judge would deem unenforceable.

App stores aggressively promote risky platforms to underage users under labels like “Must-Have Apps” displayed in prominent locations. Plus, recent Federal Trade Commission complaints outline how app stores often know when a user is a child, and yet fail to share that information with app developers, causing apps to default to adult settings that subject children to exact location tracking, contact from strangers, and even more of their personal data. This is why House Bill 161 is desperately needed – to put parents back in charge.

Unsurprisingly, rather than investing time in improving their products for families and children, the tech industry has chosen to instead introduce their own, misleading bill that does nothing to actually empower parents or protect kids. Big Tech’s alternative bill, House Bill 219, is a distraction and stall tactic lacking the accountability mechanisms that make House Bill 161 (the App Store Accountability Act) the most effective solution.

House Bill 219 attempts to replace House Bill 161’s secure age verification and verifiable parental consent with self-declared age and opt-in age signaling, allowing kids to lie about their age while app stores turn a blind eye.

App stores are not bystanders; they are powerful enablers. As the gatekeepers of the online world, they decide when an app can be downloaded, what information parents see, whether a child is treated as a minor or an adult, and how easily money and data flow out of a family’s home.

Alabama families are asking for clearer rules, real transparency, and a fair chance to protect their children before harm occurs, not after. House Bill 161 does exactly that – empowering parents with real authority at the point of access and offering the strongest, most effective solution to keep Alabama’s children safe online. It is time for the Alabama House and Senate to pass House Bill 161, the App Store Accountability Act.

Melea Stephens is a practicing marriage and family therapist in Alabama and a board member of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.

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Alabama

Yaxel Lendeborg stars as top-seeded Michigan beats Alabama in Sweet 16

Published

51 minutes ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Yaxel Lendeborg stars as top-seeded Michigan beats Alabama in Sweet 16

March 27, 2026 / 10:25 PM EDT
/ AP

Yaxel Lendeborg had 23 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in a dazzling all-around performance, and Michigan beat Alabama 90-77 on Friday night to advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years.

Trey McKenney and Elliot Cadeau each scored 17 points as top-seeded Michigan set a school record with its 34th win of the season. Roddy Gayle Jr. finished with 16 points.

Led by McKenney and Gayle, the Wolverines (34-3) enjoyed a 33-6 advantage in bench points. But the versatile Lendeborg was the star of the show as his team grabbed control in the second half.

Next up for the Wolverines is Sunday’s Midwest Region final against the winner of Tennessee-Iowa State.

Labaron Philon Jr. scored 35 points for fourth-seeded Alabama, which reached the Elite Eight each of the previous two years. Latrell Wrightsell Jr. had 15 points.

Alabama (25-10) was once again without star guard Aden Holloway, who missed the school’s tournament run after he was suspended indefinitely following a March 16 arrest on felony drug charges.

Even without Holloway, the Crimson Tide stayed right with the Wolverines for much of the up-tempo matchup of two of the tournament’s highest scoring teams. But everything changed when Lendeborg, the Big Ten player of the year, started to assert himself at the beginning of the second half.

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Alabama

How To Watch: Michigan vs Alabama in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

Published

13 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

How To Watch: Michigan vs Alabama in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

After taking care of business in the first two rounds, the Michigan Wolverines head to Chicago for a tough, but passable second weekend. An Elite Eight draw of either Iowa State (Kenpom No. 7) or Tennessee (No. 14) makes for an interesting matchup, but up first is the Alabama Crimson Tide, who sits 12th in Kenpom with the No. 3 offense but No. 60 defense.

The Tide rolls into the Sweet Sixteen after crushing Hofstra and a JT Toppin-less Texas Tech, but faces its own star-player absence with the ongoing Aden Holloway saga. Michigan is nearly a double-digit favorite, but like a turbocharged Saint Louis, the Alabama offense can be the stuff of nightmares. Every game from here on out is a battle, though, and all things considered, the bracket is set up just fine for the Wolverines.

Sweet Sixteen: No. 1 Michigan (33-3) vs. No. 4 Alabama (25-9)

Date & Time: Friday, March 27, 7:35 p.m. ET
Location: United Center, Chicago, IL
TV/Streaming: TBS

These programs have actually not met in basketball since a neutral site Alabama win back in 2009. Of course, there have been a couple notable football encounters over the past 28 months, which makes it five games on the gridiron this century. It is fitting that these squads now meet in the Sweet Sixteen, as they are arguably the top two schools over the past decade when it comes to combined football and basketball success.

Alabama 2PT Defense: 48.2% (44th)

On paper, it looks like the Bama defense might be able to hang with Michigan’s elite interior shooting, but I struggle to believe the raw numbers. The size mismatch in this game will be apparent right away, as Aiden Sherrell is the only real big in the lineup with Charles Bediako no longer eligible (lol). While the Tide gives up a decent number of threes and plenty of assists, jumpers are not the way to go in this one.

There is a very real chance that the Wolverines just hammer the paint and put up ridiculous efficiency numbers. Aday Mara looks like the x-factor here, and if Sherrell gets in any sort of foul trouble, it might just be too much for the defense to handle. This may turn into a track meet (more below), but this game sets up well for Michigan to score whenever it wants down low.

Alabama 3PT Rate: 53.9% (1st)

With this potential problem in the paint, Nate Oats knows his squad will need to put up big numbers of their own, and like Jalen Milroe rushing the ball himself, the plan is no secret. This is not necessarily the most accurate three-point shooting team in the nation, but the volume figures are substantial. For Alabama to pull off the upset, it must trade threes for twos, and that — unfortunately — is a viable strategy on Friday.

The Wolverines absolutely must close out on all shooters and again entice their opponent to opt for shots inside the arc. Future lottery pick Labaron Philon is the biggest threat, both with his willingness to drive and ability to pass (5.0 APG), but really everyone on the floor is going to be an issue from distance. There have been instances this year where teams just cannot miss from deep, and a repeat of that would be a major concern for Michigan.

Alabama DReb: 67.3% (287th)

The Wolverines’ size advantage should also play a role on the offensive glass, as Alabama has been terrible in defensive rebounding. Though Michigan has fluctuated in its prioritization of grabbing misses, this does feel like the right opportunity to make the most of the offensive possessions with plenty of second-chance points being readily available without a ton of resistance.

Not only does the Tide struggle to clean up the boards, but it also owns takeaway numbers in the bottom-10 of the entire country, while Michigan’s ball security has quietly been very strong to close out the year. This sets up perfectly for a massive offensive output. The pitfalls are the same as always: fluky bounces, careless passes, and an over-reliance on threes. If the Wolverines can stick to their game, the scoreboard is going to be lit up.

Alabama Adj. Tempo: 73 (4th)

Even more than Saint Louis, Alabama wants to run, and when it does, it wants to chuck up threes. This is going to be such a fascinating game to watch, since obviously Michigan will be more than happy to do that going the other way as well, and the Tide’s absolute commitment to getting down the court is what could lead to all of the aforementioned offensive rebounding opportunities.

With this pace, Bama does not grab a ton of offensive rebounds itself, nor does it get to the line often. It does, however, get blocked A TON, which should be fun for all of the Wolverine bigs. How close this game is really comes down to whether or not Alabama’s threes fall. The Tide will run and will hoist up a ton of attempts; make a hearty amount and an upset is possible, but have a tepid outing and this could be a blowout.

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Alabama

Longtime coaching friends Dusty May of Michigan and Nate Oats of Alabama to meet in Sweet 16

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Longtime coaching friends Dusty May of Michigan and Nate Oats of Alabama to meet in Sweet 16

CHICAGO — Michigan coach Dusty May remembered when he was an assistant at Eastern Michigan watching 6 a.m. practices at Romulus High near Detroit.

At the time, Nate Oats was coaching boys’ basketball and teaching physical education at the school. The two forged a friendship that’s going strong 20 years later.

From a high school gym to the Sweet 16, May and Oats will be on opposing sides when top-seeded Michigan (33-3) meets fourth-seeded Alabama (25-9) in the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Region semifinals on Friday.

“To get to where he is now, I don’t think you ever think that,” May said. “You don’t ever anticipate them getting to this level where they’re (at the) top of the profession but you know they’re really, really good because so much has to happen.”

Oats has led Alabama to a 170-72 record and five trips to the Sweet 16 in seven seasons after a successful run at Buffalo. The Crimson Tide are in the regional semifinals for the fourth year in a row.

Oats has been mentioned as a potential candidate for the North Carolina job, though he insisted he has “absolutely no reason to leave” to leave Alabama. He led the Crimson Tide to the Final Four two years ago and got a new contract during that run. He’s now in talks with the school about another extension.

Oats played at Division III Maranatha Baptist University in his hometown of Watertown, Wisconsin, and began his coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater in the late 1990s.

Michigan head coach Dusty May looks on during the second half against Saint Louis in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. Credit: AP/Jeffrey T. Barnes

“On March 15, my salary went up $500,000,” Oats said. “I still can’t believe I’m getting paid this much. I’m coaching basketball. Guys, I did this thing free at Maranatha for three years. I got paid $500 out of the Warhawk fund at (Wisconsin-Whitewater) a year for the next two years. I made $4,700 a year for 11 years. … Glorified PE teacher making too much money right now. I’m not going to complain.”

May has done well for himself, too.

He coached Florida Atlantic for six years and led the school to a surprising Final Four appearance. Michigan has reached the Sweet 16 in each of his two seasons. And if the Wolverines beat Alabama, they’ll set the program record for wins in a season.

“He’s the same guy that I knew as an assistant at Eastern Michigan,” Oats said. “With all the success he’s had, his ego hasn’t gotten any bigger, and I think that speaks a lot to the character of the guy.”

That’s something that stood out to Oats when he was at Romulus. Some recruiters seemed to be using him simply to get to his players. But May wasn’t like that.

“Dusty was one of those guys that was genuine, real, smart, and worked hard. … We got to be very close because we were both young basketball junkies trying to learn every which way possible,” Oats said.

Through a friend of May’s who worked for the Chicago Bulls at the time, they got to spend five days at the Bulls’ training camp when Scott Skiles was the coach. They remained close after May left Eastern Michigan. He helped Oats get his first Division I job, as an assistant at Buffalo under Bobby Hurley in 2013.

At the time, May was on Mike White’s staff at Louisiana Tech. White’s brother Danny was the AD at Buffalo, and he put in a call when Hurley told him he was planning to hire Oats.

“Danny called Mike and Mike asked me, ‘Hey, this is your friend. Can you put your name on him?’” May said. “I said, ‘Absolutely. He’ll be as good or better than anyone he can hire as an assistant coach at Buffalo.’ It was the same deal when he moved him to the head coach. They’d done a great job recruiting, and that left a major mark on the success of coach Hurley’s teams.”

More recently, Oats has left his mark on Alabama. And May has done the same at Michigan.

“He texted me last night and asked what hotel we were staying at,” Oats said. “I thought we were staying next to him. I didn’t talk to him about our basketball game. I talked to him about other stuff.”

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