Can cracking down on social media apps protect Utah’s youth? Lawmakers want to try.

Senator Mike McKell’s bill to regulate minors’ access to social media companies and their apps has been unanimously approved by the committee.

Age verification for all social media users and parental controls for minors in Utah could become a reality as new bills regulating apps move onto the Senate floor.

Sponsored by Senator Mike McKell of R-Spanish Fork, SB152 requires social media companies to obtain parental or guardian consent from Utah residents under the age of 18 before maintaining or opening an account. It also imposes other restrictions, such as prohibiting direct messages with certain accounts, hiding minor accounts from search results, blocking minor ads, and limiting access times.

The law also requires companies to provide parental or guardian access to the content and interactions of accounts held by minors, and imposes fines if companies fail to comply.

A system for verifying identities is already in place, McKell said in a presentation to the Senate Business and Labor Committee on Tuesday, as millions of people use it for dating, gambling and medicine. , pointed out that this technology is already available through third parties

“We want to empower parents,” he said. “We want to give kids the tools they need so they can monitor their social media accounts.”

This isn’t the first time McKell has prioritized social media moderation.

In 2022, senators unsuccessfully sponsored a bill that would require social media platforms to notify Utah account holders of their moderation practices and when those practices will come into force. .

And in 2021, we introduced a law allowing states to fine companies for failing to adequately explain why they removed or moderated a post. Utah Governor Spencer his Cox vetoed the bill.

Regulation then questioned how the state defined social media and how to effectively determine if a user was in Utah.

But this time, Amy Winder-Newton — head of Cox’s new family agency and member of the Salt Lake County Council — attended McKell’s presentation, endorsed the bill, and advocated for youth mental health in Utah. reiterated the state’s plans to sue social media companies for their impact on

Winder Newton linked data on increased hopelessness, sleep deprivation, and depression among Utah youth to the prevalence of social media.

“The worst part is that social media companies know their products are toxic to teens,” she said. “They design their products to be addictive.”

The bill also has support from Utah’s Attorney General’s Office, which is seen as a way to protect children from online predators.

“There is no bill more impactful,” said Ben Horsley, spokesman for the Granite School District, speaking about how often the district receives reports of inappropriate content from students. We can’t handle this, our parents don’t know how to manage it.”

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Utah Parents United’s head of legislation, Emily Daley, expressed her support for the bill but hoped there would be more room for discussion about the age verification part. “So the only information sent to these social media companies and third parties is age verification, not a driver’s license number,” she said. .”

Opponents, however, said the bill could backfire and cause more problems in the future.

“Now, if the government took over and made us not choose for ourselves, can we really produce responsible teenagers and adults?” testified 13-year-old Lucy Lowen, who ’s parents explained that they use already available parental control tools to regulate the amount of time she has access to apps and social media.

Others expressed concern about the potential exposure of financial and personal data, especially considering the bill implies the collection of children’s ages and addresses.

“Big Tech isn’t doing a really good job of protecting people’s identities,” said Utah County resident Christy Bulkley. “And uploading my identity to prove I’m not a child and having it on social media is extremely irresponsible for the state of Utah given all the havoc that’s happened in Big Tech. It seems like a thing.”

SB152 passed unanimously through the committee and will advance to the second and third ballots on the Senate floor in the future. Rep. Jordan Teuscher (R-South Jordan) will be the sponsor at the Utah State Capitol.