A pair of bills in Utah would impose draconian requirements on social media platforms in the name of protecting children. Under Senate Bill 152, social media companies would be required to verify the ages of all users from Utah, get parental consent before allowing someone under age 18 to open or maintain an account, provide parents or guardians of minors with "access to the content and interactions" of accounts maintained by their children, and "limit hours of access [for minors], subject to parental or guardian direction," per a summary of the bill. Minors would be prohibited from using social media between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.
SB 152—sponsored by state Sen. Michael K. McKell (R–Spanish Fork)—would also prohibit platforms from displaying advertising to minors or suggesting any sort of content or accounts to them, among other provisions.
