An airbag minimizes the force acting on a person during a collision primarily through the principle of increasing the time it takes for the person to stop. Therefore, the correct option is:
It increases the time it takes for the person to stop.
By deploying quickly during a collision, the airbag provides a cushioning effect that extends the duration over which the person's momentum is brought to zero. According to the impulse-momentum theorem, increasing the time over which the momentum change occurs results in a lower force experienced by the person.