The showdown between big tech companies and the state of Utah has officially begun, as Gov. Spencer Cox signed the nation's first major social media regulations into law today.
"I'm so proud of the great work that you all were able to accomplish together with your colleagues in the Legislature," Cox told lawmakers during a ceremonial signing of the bills Thursday. "These are first-of-their-kind bills in the United States, and that's huge that Utah is leading out on this effort."
McKell said lawmakers have had a strong partnership with advocates in crafting the bill "because it's our kids and we care. And there is a really, really big problem out there." "We believe that these bills are not the solution in and of themselves," said Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan. "These are tools to help parents and that's why we ran these bills."
Most major social media companies have not taken a public stance on the bills. A spokesperson for Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, told KSL.com the company has developed"We want teens to be safe online," the Meta spokesperson said in a statement provided to KSL.com.
"Utah will soon require online services to collect sensitive information about teens and families, not only to verify ages but to verify parental relationships ... putting their private data at risk of breach," said Nicole Saad Bembridge, the associate director of the NetChoice Litigation Center. "If people don't have or are unwilling to submit the required documentation, they would lose access to critical information channels.
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