Utah Bans Minors From Using Social Media At Night

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed two bills to regulate social media, requiring platforms to verify a user’s age and allow parents of minors to read their private messages. 

Under the new regulations, young people under 18 will not be able to log into their TikTok and other social media accounts from 10:30 pm to 6:30 am without parental permission.

We’re no longer willing to let social media companies continue to harm the mental health of our youth. Today we signed two key bills in our fight against social media companies into law:

➡️ SB152 requires social media companies to verify that users in https://t.co/GVAcSi9zHx… pic.twitter.com/M1Kbya1xQi

— Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox (@GovCox) March 23, 2023

In addition to restrictions on viewing time, laws prohibit companies from targeting ads to young audiences, collecting information about them, and using algorithms that target content to the interests of the user.

“This is the first bill of its kind in the US. Utah is leading the way on this,” says Cox.

Governor Cox’s justification for the law was that the use of social platforms could lead to psychological problems among young people.

Similar rules are being considered in four other Republican-led states — Arkansas, Texas, Ohio, and Louisiana — and in New Jersey, which is Democrat-led.

The law will enter into force on March 1, 2024.