While other states have been passing online verification laws for porn, Utah is the first state to pass an age verification law for anyone using social media. Those under 18 must soon have parental consent. Critics say the law does not protect children as it intended.

Utah lawmakers say that the law is intended to protect children, but critics, including some advocacy groups and social media companies, say the law is unconstitutional and will not protect kids.

They want to limit the impact social media has on youth.

The new law requires parental consent for a minor to join a social media platform. It prohibits minors from using social media from the hours of 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. Parents must be given access to their children’s social media accounts, and age verification for anybody wanting to open up a social media account. It outlines how people can sue social media companies on behalf of children for alleged harms and prohibits targeted ads and data collection on minor users.

The bill sponsor of one of the main bills frequently pointed to a recent CDC study that found teenage girls specifically are struggling with their mental health. Then again, there are others that say the evidence for this is “shaky and unclear,” with many suggestive studies that make you think it could be the case, but the research is far more ambiguous than we are led to believe.

And supporters like Governor Cox believe social media has played a huge role in the declining health of young teens. He called these apps like Instagram and TikTok very destructive and hopes these bills will give parents the tools to fight back and limit the influence they have on their child’s life.

The bill goes into effect in March of next year.