Utah's recently enacted legislation restricting how minors use social media will not be "foolproof."
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox recently signed two bills that prevent children from using social media from 10:30 P.M. to 6:30 A.M. and require age verification to join social media.
The bills also offer the opportunity to sue companies on behalf of children who can claim social media harmed them.
The governor acknowledged that Utah's new social media laws for minors will not yet achieve foolproof enforcement for children.
Enforcement of Utah's new social media laws for minors
The Gazette reported that Utah Gov. Spencer Cox admitted that the new social media laws for minors in the state will not be "foolproof."
During an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," Governor Cox acknowledged that the new social media laws for minors recently enacted in Utah would be very challenging.
He stated that while the state is working with social media companies, there will be enforcement issues.
The state government understands that these laws will have enforcement issues, especially when preventing young people from getting around the restrictions.
Cox admitted that kids are brilliantly smart, which could be a problem. With that, he further explained that they would go through a rulemaking process to determine how to implement and enforce the laws.
This approach can bring diverse perspectives and allow for more tailored solutions to issues specific to each state.
According to the Daily Wire, Governor Cox also highlighted the bill authored by Rep. Chris Stewart, which aims to raise the minimum age for social media use to 16.
He urged Congress to take a more active role in regulating social media to prevent harm and protect children.
Despite potential legal pushback from social media companies, Governor Cox believes other states will follow Utah's example in regulating social media.
He sees this as a positive step towards a federal-level agreement on preventing harm and protecting children online.
Clever kids can get around the 13 and up policy
Social media companies across the web generally adhere to a "13 and up" policy, meaning they ask users to confirm that they are at least 13 years old before enrolling to use the site.
But there are plenty of ways to get around the age requirement that clever kids have used for years.
For example, they can lie about their age or use their parents' accounts to access social media.
Parents can also create accounts for their children or monitor their kids' use of social media to ensure that they're not engaging in harmful behaviors.
According to the Times, Jennifer Grygiel, a communications professor at Syracuse University who researches social media, said these types of laws are imperfect and may not respect the rights of minors, but they may help build societal inertia and get these out-of-control companies to be better.
Grygiel added that it would be beneficial for companies to take stricter measures to enforce age restrictions. Nonetheless, considering the limitations, she stressed the need for a practical approach to the matter.
