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Subject:\[EXTERNAL\] Utah's New Law Restricting Social Media Use for Minors Isn't Clear on
Enforcement
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attachments unless you recognize the sender and are expecting the message.
05-06-2024
(P.R.D.D.C.)
PARENTS FOR THE RIGHTS OF DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED CHILDREN
CRAIG A. DURFEY FOUNDER OF P.R.D.D.C.
U.S. HOUSE OF CONGRESS H2404 - HONORING CRAIG DURFEY FOR HIS FIGHT AGAINST AUTISM
... Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California.
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2003-03-27/pdf/CREC-2003-03-27.pdf
CA State Assembly
CA State Senate
To whom it may concern.
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Utah’s New Law Restricting Social Media Use for Minors Isn’t Clear on
Enforcement.
MARCH 25, 2023 3:48 PM EDT
Utah just passed legislation that is set to limit minors’ social media use and require
parental permission for kids to use platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, but
there’s no clear plan on how it would be enforced.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed two bills into effect Thursday that prevent children
from using social media from 10:30 P.M. to 6:30 A.M., require age verification to join
social media and offer the opportunity to sue companies on behalf of children who can
claim they were harmed by social media.Both laws are collectively known as the Social
Media Regulation Act, and are set to take effect on March 1, 2024.
The legislation also seeks to limit children’s exposure to addictive features on social
media and targeted advertising that could cause damage.
“I think we need to do something,” Cox said. “These are first-of-their-kind bills in the
United States. That’s huge.”
But the bills, SB152 and HB311, face backlash from opponents over concerns that it
violates teens’ privacy and freedom of speech.
“These types of laws are imperfect and maybe they’re not respecting the rights of
minors, but maybe they will help build societal inertia and get these out-of-control
companies to be better,” says Jennifer Grygiel, a communications professor at Syracuse
University who researches social media.
Social media companies across the web generally adhere to a 13 and up policy, meaning
they ask users to confirm that they’re at least 13 years old before enrolling to use the
site—but there are plenty of ways to get around the age requirement that clever kids
have been using for years.
“Young people will find workarounds. They’ll figure it out,” Grygiel says.
Parents have long worried that the rise in teen social media use not only impacts mental
health, but also puts kids at risk of cyberbullying, online grooming and exposure to
graphic content, hate speech and misinformation.
Some companies, like TikTok, have been listening. Amid controversy over the app’s data
privacy, it rolled out measures that limit screen time and reduce features like direct
messaging, for minors’ accounts,
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However, research has shown how easy it is for kids to bypass age requirements on
social media. Measures like asking for identification with date of birth can be bypassed if
minors use someone else’s ID; kids can link their accounts to someone else’s who’s
registered as an adult and get access that way.
Major social media companies have yet to announce plans to challenge the laws, but
legal experts anticipate legal battles over the next year. Critics point out that giving
parents access to their children’s posts and messages can severely limit their privacy
and be unsafe for children in abusive situations or endanger LGBTQ youth. Some also
suggest that requiring users to share more personal data to verify their identities is
hypocritical to protecting children from exploitative advertising.
Parents and educators realize that kids can still log onto the app, but many believe that
laws like Utah’s and initiatives like the ones TikTok just rolled out encourage teens to be
more intentional about social media use and perhaps limit it.
“Up until the last couple of years, these platforms have had unfettered access to
children,” Grygiel says. “Maybe it’s a signal to these companies to increase corporate
social responsibility.”
“If they are not effectively running their companies, society will continue to pass more
and more laws to the point where it becomes difficult for them to do business,” Grygiel
adds.
Other mostly Republican-led states—Arkansas, Texas, Ohio, Louisiana and New Jersey—
are following in Utah’s steps, trying to pass similar legislation that would put pressure on
social media giants to limit minors’ access. Like other advocates of the measures,
Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that wants technology to be more child-friendly, says
that they encourage other states to “hold social media companies accountable to ensure
kids across the country are protected online.”
https://time.com/6266100/utah_teens_social_media_laws/
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