Governor Spencer Cox signed two measures restricting how easily children in the state can access platforms like TikTok and Twitter, setting the precedent in the U.S.
The new laws require setting up age verification on platforms and that parents approve their minor children's requests to sign up for social media, allowing parents access to those accounts, putting in place designated times that children can be logged onto social media (banning use from 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.), and easing the possibility of lawsuits for platforms causing harm.
Utah state Senator Michael McKell (R-25th District), who introduced the bill, said the goal was to protect children.
"As a lawmaker and parent, I believe this bill is the best path forward to prevent our children from succumbing to the negative and sometimes life-threatening effects of social media," he told CNN in a statement.
The legislation comes just a day after TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was grilled on Capitol Hill, with senators questioning, among other things, the app's safety and security practices and how it impacts the mental wellbeing of children.
Despite passing the regulations, it remains unclear how Utah will enforce them even as social media platforms intend to challenge the laws before implementation in 2024.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday called out ExxonMobil for withholding highly accurate predictions about the impact of climate change.
A chopper crash killed top Ukrainian lawmakers, Arizona fight over water, and the TSA found a record number of firearms last year. Here is everything you Need2Know for Wednesday, January 18, 2023.
A helicopter crash in a Kyiv suburb Wednesday killed 18 people, including Ukraine’s interior minister and three children, Ukrainian authorities said.
The world is in a “sorry state" because of myriad “interlinked” challenges including climate change and Russia's war in Ukraine that are “piling up like cars in a chain reaction crash,” the U.N. chief said at the World Economic Forum's meeting Wednesday.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented the outlines for her “Green Deal Industrial Plan” at the World Economic Forum at Davos.
For the first time in decades, China has fewer people than it did at the start of last year, according to official figures released Tuesday.
Solomon Pena was arrested in connection with a recent series of drive-by shootings targeting Democratic lawmakers in New Mexico.
The request comes after the White House's weekend disclosure that more classified records were found at the president's Delaware residence.
The winter meetup of CEOs and heads of state is the first since 2020.
The U.S. Treasury notified Congress that the debt ceiling could hit next week.
