New Utah Law Will Require Parental Consent For Minors to Use Social Media

Iesha March 24, 2023 News Leave a comment

Utah is the first US state to implement contentious regulations requiring children to obtain parental permission before using social media.

The new Utah Social Media Regulation Act, which includes H.B. 311 and S.B. 152, was signed by Governor Spencer Cox on Thursday to safeguard minors from the addicting features and targeted advertisements on social media platforms.

Minors are entitled to collect damages if a social media company “uses a design or feature that causes a minor to have an addiction” to their platform under H.B. 311.

As a result of S.B. 152, platforms in Utah are required to verify users’ age and obtain parental consent to create accounts for minors.

Additionally, the new laws restrict using social media between 10:30 PM and 6:30 AM, give parents and guardians the right to set time limits on how long their children can use their accounts, and allow parents access to all posts made by their children.

The companies are also prohibited from advertising to minors, collecting their information, and showing children in public search results.

Earlier this month, both bills were passed despite objections from lobbyists from the IT sector and civil liberties organizations, who believe the laws violate people’s First Amendment rights.

The deadline for social media companies to comply with the laws is March 1, 2024, beyond which they risk facing both civil and criminal fines.

According to Cox, he plans to collaborate with social media companies to determine how the state will police the new legislation. The bills do not specify how the state will implement the new laws.

“We’re no longer willing to let social media companies continue to harm the mental health of our youth,” he said on Twitter.