Opinion: Utah’s Startling New Rules for Kids and Social Media | May 2023
May 2023 | Volume 14, Issue 10
Watch the video and read the full article from CNN.
Utah’s Republican governor, Spencer Cox, recently signed two bills into law that sharply restrict children’s use of social media platforms. Under the legislation, which takes effect next year, social media companies must verify the ages of all users in the state, and children under age 18 must get permission from their parents to have accounts.
Parents will also be able to access their kids’ accounts, apps will not be allowed to show children ads, and accounts for kids will not be able to be used between 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. without parental permission.
It’s about time. Social networks in the United States have become potentially incredibly dangerous for children, and parents can no longer protect our kids without the tools and safeguards this law provides. While Cox is correct that these measures won’t be “foolproof,” and what implementing them actually looks like remains an open question, one thing is clear: Congress should follow Utah’s lead and enact a similar law to protect every child in this country.
One of the most important parts of Utah’s law is the requirement for social networks to verify the ages of users. Right now, most apps ask users their ages without requiring proof. Children can lie and say they are older to avoid some of the features social media companies have created to protect kids — like TikTok’s new setting that asks 13- to 17-year-olds to enter their passwords after they have been online for an hour, as a prompt for them to consider whether they want to spend so much time on the app.
While critics argue that age verification allows tech companies to collect even more data about users, let’s be real: These companies already have a terrifying amount of intimate information about us. To solve this problem, we need a separate (and comprehensive) data privacy law. But until that happens, this concern should not stop us from protecting kids.
One of the key components of this legislation is allowing parents access to their kids’ accounts. By doing this, the law begins to help address one of the biggest dangers kids face online: toxic content. I’m talking about things like the 2,100 pieces of content about suicide, self-harm and depression that 14-year-old Molly Russell in the U.K. saved, shared or liked in the six months before she killed herself last year.
I’m also talking about things like the blackout challenge — also called the pass-out or choking challenge — that has gone around social networks. In 2021, four children 12 or younger in four different states all died after trying it.
“Check out their phones,” urged the father of one of these young victims. “It’s not about privacy — this is their lives.”
Of course, there are legitimate privacy concerns to worry about here, and just as kids’ use of social media can be deadly, social apps can also be used in healthy ways. LGBTQ children who aren’t accepted in their families or communities, for example, can turn online for support that is good for their mental health. Now, their parents will potentially be able to see this content on their accounts.
I hope groups that serve children who are questioning their gender and sexual identities and those that work with other vulnerable youth will adapt their online presences to try to serve as resources for educating parents about inclusivity and tolerance, too. This is also a reminder that vulnerable children need better access to mental health services like therapy — they are way too young to be left to their own devices to seek out the support they need online.
But, despite these very real privacy concerns, it is simply too dangerous for parents not to know what our kids are seeing on social media. Just as parents and caregivers supervise our children offline and do not allow them to go to bars or strip clubs, we must ensure they do not end up in unsafe spaces on social media.
The other huge challenge the Utah law helps parents overcome is the amount of time kids are spending on social media. A 2022 survey by Common Sense Media found that the average 8- to 12-year-old is on social media for 5 hours and 33 minutes per day, while the average 13- to 18-year-old spends 8 hours and 39 minutes every day. That’s more time than a full-time job.
The American Academy of Pediatrics warns that lack of sleep is associated with serious harms in children — everything from injuries to depression, obesity and diabetes. So parents in the U.S. need to have a way to make sure their kids aren’t up on TikTok all night (parents in China do not have to worry about this because the Chinese version of TikTok does not allow kids to stay on for more than 40 minutes and is not useable overnight).
Of course, Utah is not an authoritarian state like China, so it cannot just turn off kids’ phones. That is where this new law comes in requiring social networks to implement these settings. The tougher part of Utah’s law for tech companies to implement will be a provision requiring social apps to ensure they’re not designed to addict kids.
Social networks are arguably addictive by nature since they feed on our desires for connection and validation. But hopefully the threat of being sued by children who say they have been addicted or otherwise harmed by social networks — an outcome for which this law provides an avenue — will force tech companies to think carefully about how they build their algorithms and features like bottomless feeds that seem practically designed to keep users glued to their screens.
TikTok and Snap did not respond to requests for comment about Utah’s law, while a representative for Meta, Facebook’s parent company, said the company shares the goal to keep Facebook safe for kids but also wants it to be accessible.
Of course, if social networks had been more responsible, it probably would not have come to this. But in the U.S., tech companies have taken advantage of a lack of rules to build platforms that can be dangerous for our kids.
States are finally saying no more. In addition to Utah’s measures, California passed a sweeping online safety law last year. Connecticut, Ohio and Arkansas are also considering laws to protect kids by regulating social media. A bill introduced in Texas would not allow kids to use social media at all.
There is nothing innocent about the experiences many kids are having on social media. This law will help Utah’s parents protect their kids. Parents in other states need the same support. Now, it’s time for the federal government to step up and ensure children throughout the country have the same protections as Utah kids.
Discussion Questions
- Explain the Utah social media law that is the subject of this article.
As indicated in the article, Utah’s new social media law sharply restricts children’s use of social media platforms. Under the law, which takes effect next year, social media companies must verify the ages of all users in the state, and children under age 18 must get permission from their parents to have accounts.
Parents will also be able to access their kids’ accounts, apps will not be allowed to show children ads, and accounts for kids will not be able to be used between 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. without parental permission. - In your reasoned opinion, should social media access by children be regulated at the federal level? Why or why not?
This is an opinion question, so student responses may vary. In your author’s opinion, social media by children should be regulated at the federal level. Social media “flows” across state boundaries and is of national (and international) concern. Furthermore, a federal law would present a “unified front” in terms of protecting children, as opposed to the “patchwork quilt” approach to having state governments craft their own laws applicable to children within their jurisdiction. - In your reasoned opinion, will the subject Utah social media law successfully “protect” children from the dangers associated with internet use? Why or why not?
This is an opinion question, so student responses may vary. In your author’s opinion, the Utah social media law will certainly help protect children from the dangers associated with excessive and inappropriate internet use; however, the law itself appears to concede that true success in protecting children will require a joint effort with involved parents who are concerned about the overall well-being of their children and who are willing to do something about it.