Utah governor: Social media laws meant to ’empower’ parents
- Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed bills restricting kids' social media use
- Social media companies are expected to sue over these laws
- Cox: We're going to take the "offensive" to hold these companies accountable
Two laws signed by Republican Gov. Spencer Cox Thursday prohibit kids under 18 from using social media between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., require age verification for anyone who wants to use social media in the state and open the door to lawsuits on behalf of children claiming social media harmed them. Collectively, they seek to prevent children from being lured to apps by addictive features and from having ads promoted to them.
The companies are expected to sue before the laws take effect in March 2024.
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(NewsNation) — After signing legislation to restrict minors’ use of social media, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox says he plans to go “on the offensive” to hold companies accountable, as well.
Cox, a Republican, recently signed two laws that would prohibit kids younger than 18 from using social media between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., require age verification for anyone who wants to use social media in the state and open the door to lawsuits on behalf of children claiming social media harmed them.
This legislation collectively aims to prevent children from being lured to apps with addictive features, and having ads promoted to them.
“Most importantly, our goal is to empower parents and families,” Cox said.
Critics, though, say that these laws will violate kids’ privacy and free speech rights, and will effectively lock them out of the web.
Social media companies are expected to sue before the laws take effect in March 2024. However, Cox said on “NewsNation Live,” “we are going to sue social media companies.”
“We believe that social media companies, much like opioid companies and tobacco companies before them, have known the harm that this is causing to our kids, and we’re going to hold them accountable,” Cox said. “They’ve hidden that information from us, and so we’re going to take the offensive when it comes to holding social media companies accountable.”
The state still has a year to work through how to implement the laws. Cox said they will work with social media companies on what these new changes will look like.
“We’re looking at third-party age verification technologies that are out there right now, where they wouldn’t keep your data,” Cox explained.
While he acknowledges that the laws are not going to stop all children younger than 18 from accessing social media without parental permission, the real intent of them, Cox says, is to start holding social media companies accountable.
“Now, parents will have the ability to open up. They can open up as wide as they want, they can remove any restrictions whatsoever, or they can put valid restrictions in place that will help their kids go out and reengage and have some of that face-to-face contact,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
