Utah Becomes First State to Limit Teen Social Media Access

What's the story?

• Utah has become the first state to require social media companies to gain parental consent for minors to use their apps and to verify users are at least 18, a move the governor said will protect young people online.
• The measures, enacted last month, will provide parents with full access to their children's online accounts and private messages in light of what sponsor Sen. Mike McKell (R-UT) said is a growing teen mental health crisis.
• A 2022 survey conducted by Common Sense Media found that the average 8- to 12-year-old spends 5 hours and 33 minutes on social media per day, while the average 13- to 18-year-old spends 8 hours and 39 minutes on social media every day.
• The Utah measures will take effect in March 2024 and apply to social networks with over five million account holders worldwide.

How will the measures work?

• Minors will need explicit consent from a parent or guardian to create an account on apps like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. 
• The bills impose a curfew on social media use and block access between 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. unless adjusted or extended by their parents.
• The legislation bans social media companies from collecting minors' data and targeting them with ads.

Support and criticism

• Republican Gov. Spencer Cox said:

"We're no longer willing to let social media companies continue to harm the mental health of our youth. As leaders, and parents, we have a responsibility to protect our young people."

• Jim Steyer, CEO and founder of Common Sense Media, said:

"It adds momentum for other states to hold social media companies accountable to ensure kids across the country are protected online."

• Ari Z Cohn, a lawyer for TechFreedom, offered a critique:

"There are so many children who might be in abusive households who might be LGBT, who could be cut-off from social media entirely."

• Brigham Young University professor Sarah Coyne said:

"We know that marginalized youth, such as L.G.B.T.Q. kids, use social media in some really important ways to find belonging and support, especially when they don't have family support. So if you've got a 17-year-old who is really struggling with mental health turning to social media to find a place to belong, and their parents are cutting it off or looking at their messages, that can have a really significant negative impact." 

What's next?

• Similar legislation is under consideration in Republican-led Arkansas, Ohio, Louisiana, and Texas and Democrat-led New Jersey.
• Republican Rep. Jared Patterson introduced a bill in Texas to completely ban minors from using social media, citing self-harm and mental health concerns.

Should more states do the same?

—Emma Kansiz 

(Photo credit: iStock/Urupong)