Utah’s governor signed two bills into law this week that will regulate social media use by children and minors and give their parents and guardians more power.
On Thursday, Gov. Spencer Cox signed HB 311 and SB 152, which require parental consent to allow minors to create profiles on social media sites and allow parents to access their children’s accounts.
“We are no longer willing to allow social media companies to continue harming the mental health of our youth,” Cox said on Twitter Thursday afternoon.
HB 311 goes a step further when it comes to regulating social media, banning companies from using addictive features or designs and enforcing curfews.
The new laws come as TikTok’s CEO testified about the app before the US Congress and at least four other states are considering similar legislation for online platforms.
In a tweet Thursday, Cox said it’s his responsibility as a parent and lawmaker to protect the state’s children from the “toxic” social media platforms
Utah’s governor signed two bills into law this week that will regulate social media use by children and minors and give their parents and guardians more power
In a tweet Thursday, Cox said it’s his responsibility as a parent and lawmaker to protect the state’s children from the “toxic” social media platforms.
“Juvenile rates of depression and other mental health problems are rising because of social media companies,” the Republican governor said.
“As leaders and parents, we have a responsibility to protect our young people,” he continued in a tweet with a video of him discussing the new laws.
The new laws ban social media companies from serving ads, showing underage accounts in search results, and collecting information about children.
The Apps also cannot suggest or target content and ads to minors.
One of the most notable features is the curfew, which automatically blocks children from their accounts at 10:30 p.m. and only allows them back at 6:30 a.m.
The locks are activated by the location of a user’s phone and the feature can be customized with parental consent.
Platforms like Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook now have until March 1, 2024 to comply.
If they don’t comply with the new laws, they could face civil or criminal penalties.
The new laws are coming, as TikTok’s CEO testified before the US Congress and was grilled on the app
“The rate of depression and other mental health problems among youth is increasing because of social media companies,” the Republican governor said in a video Thursday
“As leaders and parents, we have a responsibility to protect our young people,” he continued in a tweet with a video of him discussing the new laws
The new laws ban social media companies from serving ads, showing underage accounts in search results, and collecting information about children
Speaking to NBC News, one of the co-sponsors of one of the bills said he hopes the trend will spread across states to address what some health officials have called a “mental health crisis.”
“I don’t think we’ve ever seen a time in American history when mental health has been this problematic,” said Utah State Senator Michael McKell.
“I hope we see action across the country,” McKell said.
In an article published by McLean Hospital in January, psychologist Jacqueline Sperling addressed the main problems of underage access to social media.
“It’s a very vulnerable demographic to have access to something that doesn’t have a workaround before they post or hit the send button,” Sperling said.
“I think that’s something to think about,” she continued.
The Utah sponsors and co-sponsors of the bills said mindfulness is precisely why they pushed their legislation so hard, even in the face of countermeasures.
State Rep. Jordan Teuscher said lawmakers heard from lobbyists for companies like Google and TikTok while the bills were being drafted.
“As you can imagine, the social media companies hired almost every major lobbyist in Utah to try and influence the bill,” Teuscher said.
“They haven’t been very successful in keeping us from our goals,” he continued.
Speaking to NBC News, one of the co-sponsors of one of the bills said he hopes the trend will spread across states to address what some health officials have called a “mental health crisis.”
Gov. Spencer Cox signed HB 311 and SB 152, which require parental consent to allow minors to create profiles on social media sites and allow parents access to their children’s accounts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ShyffJaKZI
Platforms like Instagram, Twitter and TikTok now have until March 1, 2024 to comply
One of the main arguments against the new laws concerns the idea of state hyperbole.
Some critics say there is no viable way to track residency and enforce restrictions.
“There’s no way for a platform to know who is or isn’t a full-time Utah resident,” Ari Cohn, free speech consultant at TechFreedom, told NBC News.
“The only way the platforms can ensure full compliance is that they actually age verify everyone,” he said. “And that’s the problem with state-level bills like this, they basically regulate the internet for everyone.”
He also argued that it sets a dangerous precedent for free speech online.
“The age verification of everyone means you’re no longer able to remain anonymous online on social media,” Cohn told the outlet.
“Think of all the ways social media is used to criticize powerful people, elected officials, tyrannical governments or whatever without fear of retribution,” he continued.
Four other states are currently considering similar social media legislation, including Ohio, Minnesota, Connecticut and Arkansas
Several states are pushing for laws that would require consent for minors under the age of 16
Despite objections, the Utah lawmakers behind the bill say they are currently more focused on underage mental health.
“When we see hockey sticks increasing in mental health issues, the government needs to step in and say, ‘Hey, is there something we need to do to protect the health of our citizens and especially the health of minors? ‘ Teuscher said.
Four other states are currently considering similar social media legislation, including Ohio, Minnesota, Connecticut and Arkansas.
Several states are pushing for laws that would require parental consent for minors under the age of 16.