In a move that is likely to set a precedent for other US states, Utah Governor Spencer Cox has signed two bills that introduce sweeping social media legislation affecting minors.
The first bill requires social media services to seek explicit parental permission before allowing access to anyone under 18. The second prohibits social media companies from using techniques that could lead to minors developing an addiction to their platforms.
The first bill, which is the first state law of its kind in the US, allows parents or guardians to access all of their children’s posts on social media. Platforms will also be required to block users younger than 18 from accessing accounts between 10.30pm and 6.30am unless parents modify the settings.
The second bill prohibits social media companies from advertising to minors, collecting information about them, or targeting content to them.
While the impact of social media on children has been a topic of growing debate among lawmakers at both the state and federal levels, civil liberties groups have voiced concerns about the new legislation. These groups argue that the new provisions may block marginalized youth, including LGBTQ+ teens, from accessing online support networks and information. Tech groups have also opposed the laws, saying that they may infringe on Utahans’ first amendment rights.
Despite the opposition, lawmakers in other US states are following Utah’s lead in introducing similar measures. Lawmakers in Connecticut and Ohio have proposed bills to require parental permission for users younger than 16.
Lawmakers in Arkansas and Texas have introduced bills to restrict social media use among minors under 18, with the latter aiming to ban social media accounts for minors entirely. California has also enacted a measure requiring social media networks to enact the highest privacy settings for users younger than 18 as a default.
The new legislation in Utah will take effect next March, but it is not yet clear how the state plans to enforce the new regulations. Companies are already prohibited from collecting data on children younger than 13 without parental consent under the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
Social media companies already ban kids under 13 from signing up to their platforms, but children can easily get around this with or without their parents’ permission.
