BREAKING: Utah becomes the first state to require parental consent for a minor's social media account and impose a digital curfew.
Social media companies have until March 1, 2024, to comply with the laws, at which point they become punishable with potential civil and criminal penalties.
State Rep. Jordan Teuscher, who co-sponsored one of the Utah bills, said the group heard from representatives and lobbyists from major social media companies like Google and TikTok. Critics of the laws say that they are a form of government overreach that will have effects outside the borders of the state.
Cohn added that age verification poses a major risk for security and speech online. “Age verifying everyone means you no longer have an ability to be anonymous online on social media,” he said. “Think about all the ways that social media is used to criticize powerful people, elected officials, tyrannical governments, or what have you, without fear of retribution.
So far Utah is the only state to have passed such a law, which potentially opens the door for social media companies to shut out users from the state if the companies aren’t willing to comply with regulation.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Utah has a new state flag after Gov. Cox signs banner bill — for nowUtah Gov. Spencer Cox signed legislation to adopt a new state flag. That change could be short-lived as opponents are hoping to collect enough signatures to put the issue up for a public vote.
Read more »
Utah codifies ban on 'conversion therapy' for minorsUtah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill to prevent minors from undergoing so-called conversion therapy, a widely discredited practice of trying to 'convert' LGBTQ people to heterosexuality or change their gender identity.
Read more »
New Utah state flag becomes official as Cox signs bill, executive orderUtah's new state flag is now officially 'official' after Gov. Spencer Cox signed an executive order Tuesday declaring it, well... official.
Read more »
Drowsy driving cases on the rise in UtahIn Utah, drowsy driving was the cause of 10 fatal crashes in 2021, which is up from the past 5 years.
Read more »