I have been in this game too long to enjoy or participate in ref-bashing, but to be candid, my confidence in their general ability to call 'one-step' checking is not all that high. A few years ago my suggestion to the local youth league was to introduce checking as such: Pee Wee - D team checking in the D Zone only
Bantam - D team checking in D Zone + open ice hitting in the N Zone, not along or into the boards
Midget - allow full contact, however hitting anyone in 'the numbers' at any time, for any reason, is a double minor
This is not to suggest that the above-mentioned is a better idea than 'one-step'. Perhaps a combination of the two concepts might work. Anything is better than going from Squirt No-Hitting to Pee Wee Full Contact; a ruling that can only be made by people who do not understand youth hockey and the incredible size differences that exist.
my personal thoughts are no checking should be allowed until 16 years old. From what i have seen in youth games in the US, physical intimidation is demanded by coaches, and the focus is on hitting not to take the puck but to just smash the other player. it seemed hitting was the priority and not passing. to me, it seemed like youth players at the U12 & U14 levels simply panicked and threw away puck when they were under physical pressure. this leads to players not able to focus on making passing combinations and understanding movement away from puck and to use passes to take zones but rather simply throw puck forward to avoid a hit. though its not as bad in most parts of europe, i think the focus should be on the kids learning passing combinations and stickhandling technique without fear of being hit by a player who outweighs them by 25 kilos. feel free to add thoughts to my ideas.