Governor Spencer Cox has signed a series of bills imposing new restrictions on youth access to social media.
The governor signed the bills that require age-verification, blocks social media platforms from targeting youth in advertising, algorithms and searches and allows companies to be sued for any violations. Gov. Cox called social media apps "very destructive" in their harms to youth and their mental health.
"These are first of their kind bills in the United States," the governor said. "That's huge that Utah is leading out in this effort."
People all over the country are paying attention to the bills including Social Media Expert Natalie Zfat who talked with Jenny about what she believes parents need to know.
She said she believes it will be tricky to navigate the laws when they go into effect for a few different reasons.
First, some people don't even add their age or where they live to their accounts, making them harder to track.
Second, social media companies have said they have their own measures in place to keep kids safe. For instance, TikTok says any user under 13 can only spend one hour a day on the app.
Third, Natalie says there potentially could be First Amendment questions asked, for instance, do the laws stomp on free speech rights of teens?
Natalie says she's going to be watching this closely over the next few months before the laws are set to go into effect in March, 2024.
You can follow Natalie on all social media @nataliezfat.
