The state of Utah became the first in the country on Thursday to prohibit minors from creating social media accounts without the prior consent of their parents or guardians.
Two laws signed this Thursday by the republican governor of the territory, Spencer Cox, also introduce restrictions on the use of these platforms by minors, such as a digital “curfew” that prevents users from accessing their accounts between 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. except Allowed by an adult, pick up The Hill medium.
The regulations will not take effect until March 2024, but the governor assured that he will use this time to work with social media companies to refine the details of their implementation, the outlet added.
“Utah is leading the way in holding social media companies to account – and we’re not going to back down anytime soon,” Cox said on Twitter announcing the signing of the measures.
The second law prohibits these companies from using “designs or features” that may cause addiction among minors. It also makes it easier for people to report these companies, Cox explained.
The promoters of the legislation explained in an interview on NBC that their motivation for adopting these measures lies in the problems that, in their opinion, social networks cause in the mental health of children.
According to a survey conducted by Common Sense Media in the US, in 2016 half of 12-year-olds had an account on at least one social network, a figure that dropped to one in four in the case of minors between 8 and 12 years.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
