Digital technology came with many hazards, ranging from "sexting" and cyber-bullying to internet fraud and copyright breaches.
At least one in five New Zealand high school students have reported being victims of cyber bullying.
"I argue that these devices are not dissimilar to cars, and all students need to reach a certain level of proficiency, as they would [with] a motorvehicle, to avoid accidents and trouble with law.
"There is actually no difference on the information super highway - and we've got lot of people who stuff up on a regular basis."
Such tests would not be mandatory and would need to be trialled in schools, he said.
"We can't sit around waiting for a magic bullet - these are our kids, our communities, our challenges - and we have to do something different."
As use of the internet grew so, too, did the risks that came with it, he said.
"What we need is a more enlightened view. The licence will teach kids to use the internet in a safe, smart and respectable manner."
NetSafe chief executive Martin Cocker said the idea had merit but would need "a bit of work" to achieve its goals.
"Our initial reaction is that as an educative step, there's value in it - but of course if the price of failure was that students weren't able to access the technology, it would sort of be self-defeating."
New Zealand Principals' Federation president Paul Drummond said many schools openly encouraged students to bring devices to school, and had varying policies on usage.
"In primary schools in particular that's often accompanied with parent and teacher support and signatures, so there's a collective understanding around using the technology ethically," he said.
"That's where I think it lies - and I don't know about a test being able to measure someone's integrity or values around using technology properly."
