In debates about youth online safety, conflicts of interest are often discussed only in relation to tech companies. Yet a growing market now surrounds age-verification laws and school phone bans, from biometric systems to phone-locking pouches. If transparency matters, it must apply everywhere. Real accountability means examining incentives across the entire youth safety ecosystem.

If we demand transparency from educators with tech ties, we must also expect it from phone-ban advocates partnered with control app companies—fair is fair.