Alabama
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.
Scott Abell helped the Rice Owls to a rare postseason berth in his first year atop the program in 2025.
Tevin Madison aided perennial powerhouse Alabama as the Crimson Tide returned to the College Football Playoff — the program’s first bid under second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer.
Now, Abell is set to add Madison to his Rice Owls staff.
Sources tell FootballScoop that Madison is set to depart Tuscaloosa, Alabama, barring any unforeseen snags, to take the cornerbacks coach’s job in Abell’s Rice program.
Most recently, Madison has worked for the Alabama Crimson Tide with an official title of “football analyst,” though Madison has been the program’s assistant defensive backs coach.
It’s another step in the Football Bowls Subdivision for Madison, a former three-year player for the Texas Tech Red Raiders who capped his career at NCAA Division II program West Alabama.
In addition to a stint as a graduate assistant coach at Kansas State, Madison has coached at Illinois State and Southeast Missouri State at the Football Championship Subdivision level.
Abell guided Rice to five wins in 2025, his first season atop the Owls program after a decorated run in charge of the FCS, non-scholarship Davidson Wildcats. The Rice program was awarded a bowl berth for its academic standing when there was a shortage of bowl-eligible teams to fill all postseason slots.
Rice, which had mustered a 5-5 mark through its first 10 games of the 2025 season, dropped its final three including the Armed Forces Bowl against in-state foe Texas State.
In 2026, the Owls are slated to open Abell’s second year at the helm at home against FCS program Houston Christian University before traveling to the Midwest for a game at Notre Dame, which is entering Year 5 under Marcus Freeman and has emerged as an early consensus contender for the 2026 College Football Playoff.
The Colorado Buffaloes’ offseason is all but wrapped up as training camp approaches, and coach Deion Sanders has been busy, adding more than 40 players from the transfer portal. With so much turnover, the roster is starting to finally take shape for the next season.
One of the most underrated additions this offseason is former Alabama running back Richard Young. Sanders and offensive coordinator Brennan Marion see potential in the former four-star recruit that hasn’t yet been realized.
Young came to Alabama as part of the 2023 recruiting class out of LeHigh Senior High School in Florida. Despite his talent, he spent much of his time buried on the depth chart and never got a real opportunity to showcase what he can do.
Production has been hard to come by for Young, which has been a sticking point in his development. He has fewer than 60 carries in his career and came off a season where he averaged less than three yards per carry.
If Young can stay healthy and find a consistent role in Colorado’s offense, he has a chance to finally show why he was once such a coveted recruit. With the Buffaloes’ revamped backfield, this could be the perfect stage for him to turn untapped potential into production.
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Unlocking the Potential of Colorado’s Revamped Running Backs
Still to be determined is how Colorado’s offense will utilize its running backs, but Sacramento State’s Damien Henderson II and Jaquail Smith should be factors from the start. Young and Micah Welch have shown flashes, though neither has yet shown that he can be counted on.
Henderson II and Smith added 1,076 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, showing potential for big plays. This kind of game-breaking ability should serve them well at Colorado, where a much-improved front will set the tone for the offense.
Young will have a big offseason and training camp ahead of him if he wants to get reps, but at his size can make himself valuable as a goal-line bruiser type of tailback. Welch is arguably the biggest question mark in the running back stable, but Young is clearly the favorite to start.
As the main returning back, it’s unclear how Welch fits into Marion’s system. He’s flashed potential, but that hasn’t yet turned into consistent production.
If Henderson II and Smith can carry over their big-play ability from Sacramento State, they could become the engine of Colorado’s rushing attack. Early contributions from the two could set the tone for the offense and turn the backfield from a question mark into a genuine strength.
Can Richard Young Make an Impact in Colorado’s Backfield?
The odds of Young making an impact in Colorado’s backfield are high, especially as a redshirt junior. He brings experience that the Hornets running backs don’t, along with Welch, and could step in right away.
With his time at Alabama and his ability to run between the tackles, Young has the tools to take over the backfield. He was a four-star recruit for a reason, but he just needs the opportunity to show what he can do.
His mix of size, vision, and power gives the Buffaloes a back who can control the line of scrimmage and create opportunities for the entire offense.
If he can stay healthy and adapt quickly to the system, Young has the potential to be a reliable, dynamic weapon every game. This could be the season he finally lives up to the hype and becomes a true cornerstone of the Buffaloes’ rushing attack.
Alabama
Judge blocks former NBA Draft prospect from playing for Alabama in potential precedent-setting ruling
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A potential groundbreaking decision was made in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Monday that could change NCAA eligibility forever.
A judge denied Charles Bediako’s motion for a preliminary injunction that would allow him to continue playing basketball for the Alabama Crimson Tide after he returned despite declaring for the 2023 NBA Draft.
So, after just five games, Bediako’s season is over, per AL.com’s Nick Kelly.
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Charles Bediako of the Alabama Crimson Tide waits to enter his first collegiate game in two years during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Coleman Coliseum on Jan. 24, 2026 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Brandon Sumrall/Getty Images)
“Common sense won a round today,” NCAA president Charlie Baker said in a statement, per Yahoo Sports. “The court saw this for what it is: an attempt by professionals to pivot back to college and crowd out the next generation of students. College sports are for students, not for people who already walked away to go pro and now want to hit the ‘undo’ button at the expense of a teenager’s dream.
“While we’re glad the court upheld the rules our members actually want, one win doesn’t fix the national mess of state laws. It’s time for Congress to stop watching from the sidelines and help us provide some actual stability.”
Bediako filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in order to return to his Crimson Tide squad, where he last played during the 2022-23 season. The 7-foot center declared for the NBA Draft after that year, but he went unselected in the two rounds.
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Bediako eventually spent time in the G League over the past three seasons, which includes six games for the Motor City Cruise this season.
However, he was granted a temporary restraining order in January, allowing him to return to Alabama to play for his old team despite the NCAA initially denying the Crimson Tide’s request to have him on the roster.
Bediako isn’t the first player whose attempt to head back to college after going pro hasn’t gone swimmingly.
James Nnaji, who was actually taken in the same draft as Bediako, shocked everyone when he committed to Baylor. While he hadn’t played in an NBA game, Nnaji was the first former draftee to be cleared to play in college.
Charles Bediako of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts during the second half in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at KFC YUM! Center against the San Diego State Aztecs on March 24, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
It started a wave of similar commitments, which include G League players Thierry Darlan and London Johnson heading to Santa Clara and Louisville, though it is for next season.
Alabama head coach Nate Oats told The Athletic that Bediako will remain on scholarship even if he can’t play.
“Charles has done nothing wrong. I will stand by our guys every single time, no matter what the outside says when they’ve done nothing wrong, and Charles has done everything right,” Oats told the outlet.
Meanwhile, Arkansas head coach John Calipari unloaded on the current state of college basketball for allowing players to head back into college.
“Does anybody care what this is doing for 17- and 18-year-old American kids?” Calipari questioned in his nearly seven-minute monologue in December 2025. “Do you know what this opportunity has done for them and their families? There aren’t gonna be any high school kids. Who, other than dumb people like me, are gonna recruit high school kids? I get so much satisfaction out of coaching young kids and seeing them grow and make it, and their family’s life changes, that I’m gonna keep doing it. But why would anybody else, if you can get NBA players, G-League players, guys that are 28 years old, guys from Europe — do we really know their transcript? Do we have somebody over there? Do we really know their birth certificate? Or don’t we?
“If you put your name in the draft, I don’t care if you’re from Russia and you stay in the draft, you can’t play college basketball. ‘Well, that’s only for American kids.’ What? If your name is in that draft, and you got drafted, you can’t play college because that’s our rule. ‘Yeah, but that’s only for American kids.’ OK. OK.”
But Alabama feels that it has been done wrong by the NCAA considering players have been allowed in other programs to play this season despite going pro, Nnaji being an example.
“I respectfully ask the Court to uphold the NCAA eligibility rules challenged in this case, which are essential to the integrity of college sports, to the educational mission they serve, and to the opportunities they provide for current and future student-athletes,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a four-page affidavit filed last week.
Charles Bediako of the Alabama Crimson Tide makes his return to the college court during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Coleman Coliseum on Jan. 24, 2026 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Brandon Sumrall/Getty Images)
The university added a statement following the court’s ruling, per Yahoo Sports.
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“While we understand the concern around competitive and developmental implications of former professional athletes participating in college, it is important to acknowledge reality,” the statement read.
“The NCAA has granted eligibility to over 100 current men’s basketball players with prior professional experience in the G League or overseas. Granting eligibility to some former professionals and not to others is what creates the havoc we are currently in and why consistency from decisions-makers is so desperately needed.”
The Crimson Tide went 3-2 with Bediako back on their bench.
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