Utah Governor Spencer Cox has signed two bills into laws that restrict the use of social media platforms by children and places additional burdens on social media companies.
The Utah Social Media Regulation Act requires platforms to verify the ages of all Utah residents. It also imposes a curfew between the hours of 10:30 and 6:30 pm for anyone under 18 and bans all advertising for minors.
Social media platforms will also be required to grant access to parents, allowing them to view their teenager’s social media accounts.
Other regulations include a prohibition on:
- Direct messaging with certain accounts
- Showing minor’s accounts in search results
- Collecting, sharing, or using personal information from the account (with some exceptions)
- Targeting or suggesting ads, accounts, or content
The statute does not allow social media users to waive these provisions.
Fines of up to $5,000 for each violation may be assessed.