UT Law to Restrict Social Media Access to Minors

Parents in America are not doing their job – and the government is stepping in to fill the gap, unfortunately. One area, more than all the rest, has been “open season” on the psyche of America’s youth, and that is the great ether that is social networking and Internet usage in general.

Sadly, Utah, a very conservative state based on belief in God and faith, is trying to get ahold of the runaway train by issuing new legislation, which they literally have no realistic way of enforcing, because parents are too self-absorbed to care enough in the first place.

The Blaze: On Thursday, Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox approved legislation that would limit access by young people to social media platforms, the first state-wide restriction of its kind.

Four other states are considering similar regulations on minors using social media.

The two laws order social media companies to confirm the age of any Utah resident signing up to a platform and also allows parents of underage social media users to have access to their posts and messages. Social media companies are restricted from capturing personal information from minors and targeting them.

1. So proud of Gov. @SpencerJCox for signing pathbreaking legislation in Utah today to curb kids’ use of social media & give parents more power to guide their kids’ tech use. Utah has led the way in efforts to protect our kids from Big Tech. https://t.co/Xey7ruFv8W pic.twitter.com/uRbUknDI8v

— Brad Wilcox (@BradWilcoxIFS) March 23, 2023

The law also allows people to sue a social media platform if they suffer any damages from its use. Finally, the order restricts use of social media by young people between 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. unless a parent consents to adjust the ban.

Critics have accused social media companies of creating addictive algorithms to maximize use, especially by children of teenagers.

I don’t think we’ve ever seen a time in American history where mental health has been so problematic,” said Utah state Sen. Michael McKell about the new laws. “I hope we see action across the nation.”

A spokesperson for Meta, the parent company of Facebook, released a statement defending their practices.

“We want teens to be safe online. We’ve developed more than 30 tools to support teens and families, including tools that let parents and teens work together to limit the amount of time teens spend on Instagram, and age verification technology that helps teens have age-appropriate experiences,” read the statement.

“We’ll continue to work closely with experts, policymakers, and parents on these important issues,” the spokesperson concluded. – The Blaze.

The best defense against these platforms are engaged parents, but as so often happens in America, most won’t care until it’s too late – then it becomes a whole legal process, costing citizens and taxpayers millions in lawsuits. The time to care is NOW.