Utah governor signs new laws requiring parents’ consent for minors to use social media accounts 

Utah’s governor signed two bills into law this week regulating social media use by children and minors and giving their parents and guardians more power.

On Thursday, Governor Spencer Cox signed HB 311 and SB 152 that require parental consent for minors to create profiles on social networking sites and give them access to their children’s accounts.

“We are no longer willing to allow social media companies to continue damaging 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, prohibiting companies from using addictive features or designs and implementing curfews.

The new laws come as TikTok’s CEO testified before the US Congress about the app and as at least four other states consider similar legislation involving online platforms.

Utah’s governor signed two bills into law this week regulating social media use by children and minors and putting more power in the hands of their parents and guardians.

In a tweet Thursday, Cox said it was his responsibility as a parent and lawmaker to protect the state’s children from “toxic” social media platforms.

“Rates of depression and other mental health problems in young people are increasing due to social media companies,” the Republican governor said.

“As leaders and parents, we have a responsibility to protect our youth,” he continued in a tweet with a video of him speaking about the new laws.

New laws prohibit social media companies from displaying ads, displaying child accounts in search results, and collecting information about children.

Applications may also not suggest or target content and advertisements to minors.

One of the most notable features is the curfew that automatically locks kids out of their accounts at 10:30 p.m. and doesn’t allow them to log back in until 6:30 a.m.

The locks are triggered by the location of a user’s phone, and the feature can be adjusted with parental consent.

Platforms like Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Facebook now have until March 1, 2024 to comply.

If they do not adhere to the new laws, they can be sanctioned in civil or criminal courts.

The new laws come as the TikTok CEO testified before the US Congress and was questioned on the app.

“Rates of depression and other mental health problems among youth are rising because of social media companies,” the Republican governor declared in a video on Thursday.

“As leaders and parents, we have a responsibility to protect our youth,” he continued in a tweet with a video of him speaking about the new laws.

New laws prohibit social media companies from displaying ads, displaying child accounts in search results, and collecting information about children.

while talking to nbc newsOne of the co-sponsors of one of the bills said he hopes the trend will spread across states as a way to address what some health officials have deemed a “mental health crisis.”

“I don’t think we’ve ever seen a time in American history where 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 Januarythe psychologist Jacqueline Sperling addressed the main problems related to minors’ access to social networks.

“It’s a very vulnerable population to have access to something where there isn’t a stopgap before you post or hit the submit button,” Sperling said.

“I think that’s something to keep in mind,” he continued.

The sponsors and co-sponsors of the bills in Utah said mindfulness was exactly why they lobbied so hard for their legislation, even in the face of opposition.

State Rep. Jordan Teuscher said lawmakers listened to lobbyists from companies like Google and TikTok as the bills were being written.

“As you can imagine, almost every major lobbyist in Utah was hired by social media companies to try to influence the bill,” Teuscher said.

“They weren’t very successful in dissuading us from our objectives,” he continued.

While speaking with NBC News, one of the co-sponsors of one of the bills said he hopes to see the trend spread across states as a way to address what some health officials have deemed a “mental health crisis.”

Governor Spencer Cox signed HB 311 and SB 152 that require parental consent for minors to create profiles on social networking sites and give them access to their children’s accounts.

Platforms like Instagram, Twitter and TikTok now have until March 1, 2024 to comply

One of the key opposing arguments regarding the new laws involves the idea of ​​government overreach.

Some critics say there is no feasible way to track residence and enforce the restrictions.

“There’s no way for a platform to know who is or isn’t a full-time Utah resident,” Ari Cohn, free speech adviser for TechFreedom, told NBC News.

“The only way platforms can ensure full compliance is by verifying everyone’s age,” he said. “And that’s the problem with state-level bills like this, is that they basically regulate the Internet for everyone.”

He also argued that it sets a dangerous precedent regarding free speech online.

“Verifying everyone’s age means you no longer have the ability to be 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 retaliation,” he continued.

Four other states are considering similar legislation that would regulate social media, including Ohio, Minnesota, Connecticut and Arkansas.

Several states are pushing laws that would require consent from those under the age of 16.

Despite the objections, the Utah legislators behind the bill say they are more focused right now on the mental health of minors.

“When we see hockey stick increases in mental health problems, the government needs to step in and say, ‘Hey, is there anything we need to do to protect the health of our citizens and especially the health of minors?’ Teucher said.

Four other states are currently considering similar legislation that would regulate social media, including Ohio, Minnesota, Connecticut, and Arkansas.

Several states are pushing laws that would require parental consent for children under 16.