A "first-in-the-nation" law has been signed in Utah, protecting children and teens from addictive platforms.
Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed two laws Thursday prohibiting children below 18 years of age from using social media between 10:30 P.M. to 6:30 A.M. and requiring age verification for anyone who wants to use social media within Utah. If still underage, parental consent will also be required to access social media apps such as TikTok.
Further, the law also welcomes lawsuits against social media apps that are causing harm to children under 16 years old, providing rules for individuals who want to sue. If implemented, social media companies would need to prove that their products and services are not harmful and not the other way around.
The Utah law, which was primarily created to end social media apps from luring kids and teens through their addictive features and exposing them to ads, was signed the same day Tiktok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before Congress about the app's effect on teens' mental health and other concerns.
Protecting children against harmful mental health effects
The new laws will also require parents to be given access to their kids' accounts.
The battle against social media in the Republican-supermajority Legislature of Utah has been described as the "latest reflection" of how politicians now perceive and see technology companies, especially among pro-business Republicans.
Lawmakers are attacking these "Big Techs" to try to rein them in one office, according to AP News, all because of growing serious concerns over user privacy, misinformation, hate speech, and, of the utmost concern, its harmful effects on children's mental health.
Governor Cox stressed the many studies that discovered that the time kids and teens spend on social media leads to "poor mental health outcomes."
"We remain very optimistic that we will be able to pass not just here in the state of Utah but across the country legislation that significantly changes the relationship of our children with these very destructive social media apps," the governor declared.
Parent groups and child advocates are showing support for the two laws, with Common Sense Media CEO stating that these laws are adding "momentum for other states" to make social media companies accountable for ensuring that the young ones in the country are protected online.
'Unconstitutional'
Other red states, such as Arkansas, Texas, Ohio, and Louisiana, and blue states, like New Jersey, were reportedly advancing the same proposals. As for California, lawmakers enacted a law last year instructing tech companies to bar children from the profiling process and not use their personal information in any way that can harm them physically or mentally.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation had demanded that Governor Cox dismiss the legislation earlier this month, stressing that it would hurt children's rights to free speech and privacy. They also stated that age verification for all users would entail social media platforms to ask for more data like the government-issued identification required.
Tech industry lobbyists agreed with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, stating that the law is "unconstitutional," violating people's right to exercise the First Amendment online.
Associate Director of the tech lobby group NetChoice, Nicole Saad Bembridge, stressed that the law would require online service to collect sensitive information to verify ages and parental relationships. Other than the government-issued IDs, birth certificates will also be required, "putting their private data at risk of breach."
Related article: Parents in California Could Soon Sue For Social Media Addiction After Bill Passes in State Assembly
