Utah governor replaces social media laws for youth as state faces lawsuits

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah’s governor has approved an overhaul of social media laws meant to protect children as the state fends off multiple lawsuits challenging their constitutionality.

Republican legislative leaders announced at the start of this year’s 45-day work session that they would prioritize revising a pair of policies passed last year that imposed strict limits for children wishing to access social media. Two bills signed this week by Republican Gov. Spencer Cox effectively repeal and replace those first-in-the-nation laws with language the sponsors say should hold up in court.

The new laws require social media companies to verify the ages of their users and disable certain features on accounts owned by Utah youths. Default privacy settings for minor accounts must restrict access to direct messages and sharing features and disable elements such as autoplay and push notifications that lawmakers argue could lead to excessive use.

Legislators have removed a requirement that parents consent to their child opening an account after many raised concern that they would need to enter an excess of personal data that could compromise their online security.

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