The ProtectMiChild Registry is a Michigan Secretary of State program that allows parents and educational institutions to protect children from adult-themed advertisements on their electronic devices and email accounts.
Parents can register their child’s cell phone number, email address, and social ID to prevent ads from reaching their children. ProtectMiChild blocks ads for alcohol, tobacco online gambling, and pornography.
Registration for the service is online at protectmichild.com, and once parents register the addresses, phone numbers, or Twitter, Snapchat, or Instagram usernames, advertisers for adults-only services will be required to remove them from their sending list within 30 days.
Educational institutions including public and private schools and libraries can also register their domains with the Michigan Children’s Protection Registry. This prevents adult content from being emailed to any address in that institution’s domain.
The service is provided through Unspam, the same company that provides the do-not-contact registry for the government. The company recently expanded their protection beyond email and phone numbers to include the social apps Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram. Blocking adult ads from these social media apps does not affect the way the apps work.
Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand
