Topline
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed legislation Thursday prohibiting minors from using social media without parental consent, in the nationās most sweeping regulations targeting kidsā and teensā internet use as criticism of social media platforms reaches a fever pitch nationally.
Key Facts
The two bills Cox signed into law enact numerous new restrictions, such as requiring social media companies to verify a userās age and setting a 10:30 p.m.-6:30 a.m. curfew where minors will be locked out of their accounts unless a parent disables the feature.
The new laws also give parents access to their childrenās posts and private messages, while platforms are banned from using algorithms that might cause āaddictionā to apps in minors.
Republican lawmakers cited a teen mental health crisis they blame on increased social media use as a reason for the new regulationsāthough the impacts of social media remain unclear and are the subject of public health debate.
The new laws take effect March 1, 2024.
What To Watch For
Lawmakers in Connecticut and Ohio are working on similar bills that would require platforms to get parental permission for users under 16 to sign up. President Joe Biden in his State of the Union address last month also called on Congress to act āto strengthen privacy protections, ban targeted advertising to children, demand tech companies stop collecting personal data on our children.ā
Key Background
Coxās signatures came just hours after a House panel grilled TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew for hours in a rare show of bipartisan outrage. Lawmakers repeatedly pressed Chew for answers on what connection the popular app has to its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, and the Chinese Communist government. Chew claimed he has āseen no evidenceā of Chinese officials using TikTok to monitor Americans, saying he ādisagrees with the characterizationā that TikTok spies on Americans (ByteDance had planned to use TikTok to spy on U.S. citizens, including Forbes reporters). Lawmakers also blasted TikTok for allegedly pushing ādangerousā challenges and self-harm content toward teens, with Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) saying the app worsens āfeelings of emotional stress” in young people. Chew claimed TikTok does have protections in place for younger users, calling instances of self-harm blamed on TikTok ādevastating.ā TikTok COO Vanessa Pappas said after the hearing the company felt the proceedings were ārooted in xenophobia.ā
Further Reading
Utah Law Could Curb Use of TikTok and Instagram by Children and Teens (New York Times)