Current:Home > MarketsUtah governor replaces social media laws for youth as state faces lawsuits-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Utah governor replaces social media laws for youth as state faces lawsuits
lotradecoin trading system reliability View Date:2024-12-26 05:28:53
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah’s governor has approved an overhaul of social media laws meant to protect children as the state fends off multiple lawsuits challenging their constitutionality.
Republican legislative leaders announced at the start of this year’s 45-day work session that they would prioritize revising a pair of policies passed last year that imposed strict limits for children wishing to access social media. Two bills signed this week by Republican Gov. Spencer Cox effectively repeal and replace those first-in-the-nation laws with language the sponsors say should hold up in court.
The new laws require social media companies to verify the ages of their users and disable certain features on accounts owned by Utah youths. Default privacy settings for minor accounts must restrict access to direct messages and sharing features and disable elements such as autoplay and push notifications that lawmakers argue could lead to excessive use.
Legislators have removed a requirement that parents consent to their child opening an account after many raised concern that they would need to enter an excess of personal data that could compromise their online security.
Parents can still obtain access to their children’s accounts under the new laws, and they have grounds to sue a social media company if their child’s mental health worsens from excessive use of an algorithmically curated app. Social media companies must comply with a long list of demands to avoid liability.
Cox applauded the Republican lawmakers behind the new laws for combatting what he considers “the plague that social media has unleashed on the mental health of our youth.”
The revisions mark the latest move in a yearslong sparring match between Utah and social media giants TikTok and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. Several months after Utah became the first state to pass laws regulating children’s social media use, it sued both tech giants for allegedly luring in children with addictive features.
NetChoice, a trade group representing TikTok, Meta and other global social media companies, then sued Utah over its original laws in December 2023, leading legislators to rush through bills limiting their reach and delaying when they take effect.
Spokespeople for TikTok and Meta did not respond Friday to requests for comment on the new state laws.
Meanwhile, Congress is pressuring TikTok’s China-based owner to sell its stake or face a possible U.S. ban. The House passed a bill on Wednesday that would give the company an ultimatum due to concerns that its current ownership structure poses a national security threat. The bill now heads to the Senate, where its prospects are unclear.
In Utah, social media companies will be prohibited from collecting and selling data associated with minor accounts, and the state’s Division of Consumer Protection will set guidelines for how those companies should verify a user’s age and identity without collecting too much personal data.
Beginning Oct. 1, companies such as TikTok will face another choice — impose a curfew on minors’ accounts or have few legal defenses against families who say the app caused their kids harm.
The laws shift the burden of proof from the families onto the social media companies, requiring them to demonstrate that their algorithmically curated content did not fully or partially cause a child’s depression, anxiety or self-harm behaviors. However, the laws give companies greater legal protection if they limit Utah minors’ use of their app to three hours in a 24 hour period, require parental permission for kids to create accounts and set a statewide social media blackout for youths between 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.
Companies will have to pay at least $10,000 in damages for each case of an adverse mental health outcome.
Cox also signed hundreds more bills this week, including several that the Republican sponsors said are intended to improve the safety of Utah children. Among them are bills funding firearms training for teachers and creating new legal protections for clergy members who report child abuse.
veryGood! (217)
Related
- Traveling? Here Are the Best Life-Saving Travel Accessories You Need To Pack, Starting at Just $7
- Amazon opening 2 operations facilities in Virginia Beach, creating over 1,000 jobs, Youngkin says
- Bruce Willis’ Wife Emma Heming Shares Update on Actor After Dementia Diagnosis
- At least 20 dead in gas station explosion as Nagorno-Karabakh residents flee to Armenia
- Emily in Paris' Ashley Park Reveals How Lily Collins Predicted Her Relationship With Costar Paul Forman
- Colombian club president shot dead after match
- To TikTok or not to TikTok? One GOP candidate joins the app even as he calls it ‘digital fentanyl’
- A Drop in Emissions, and a Jobs Bonanza? Critics Question Benefits of a Proposed Hydrogen Hub for the Appalachian Region
- Efforts to return remains, artifacts to US tribes get $3 million in funding
- Officials set $10,000 reward for location of Minnesota murder suspect mistakenly released from jail
Ranking
- White House says deals struck to cut prices of popular Medicare drugs that cost $50 billion yearly
- Texas Walmart shooter agrees to pay more than $5M to families over 2019 racist attack
- Indiana teen working for tree-trimming service killed when log rolls out of trailer, strikes him
- College football Week 4 overreactions: Too much Colorado hype? Notre Dame's worst loss?
- Collin Gosselin claims he was discharged from Marines due to institutionalization by mom Kate
- Connecticut health commissioner fired during COVID settles with state, dismissal now a resignation
- Film legend Sophia Loren has successful surgery after fracturing a leg in a fall at home, agent says
- UK police open sexual offenses investigation after allegations about Russell Brand
Recommendation
-
Gena Rowlands, acting powerhouse and star of movies by her director-husband, John Cassavetes, dies
-
Joe Jonas Steps Out With Brother Nick After Reaching Temporary Custody Agreement With Ex Sophie Turner
-
In search of healthy lunch ideas? Whether for school or work, these tips make things easy
-
Powerball jackpot nears $800 million, 4th largest in game's history: When is next drawing?
-
Get 10 free boneless wings with your order at Buffalo Wild Wings: How to get the deal
-
Artemis II: NASA pilot prepares for a trip around the moon and beyond | 5 Things podcast
-
Here’s when your favorite show may return as writers strike is on the verge of ending
-
Firefighter’s 3-year-old son struck and killed as memorial walk for slain firefighters was to begin