And unlike some other social media bills passed by lawmakers, SB142 received positive feedback from some of the country’s biggest tech companies.
“We applaud Utah for putting parents in charge with its landmark legislation and urge Congress to follow suit,” reads a joint statement from Meta, X and Snap on Wednesday.
“Parents want a one-stop shop to verify their child’s age and grant permission for them to download apps in a privacy-preserving way,” the companies said. “The app store is the best place for it, and more than a quarter of states have introduced bills recognizing the central role app stores play.”
The bill is now headed to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s desk.
The bill, which passed with near-unanimous approval, requires Apple and Google’s app stores to verify a user’s age. The sponsor, Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, said companies could use a credit card as age verification.
If the user is identified as a minor, the bill would require the app store to tie their account to a parent or guardian’s account — the minor would need parental approval before they download any app that requires a terms of service agreement.
Weiler described it as “a contract bill.” Those terms of service agreements are binding contracts that allow app developers to access the device’s data, microphone, camera and more — in no other circumstance are minors allowed to enter into a binding contract, said Weiler.
The bill also addresses what lawmakers say are “deceptive” app ratings. “Apps largely rate themselves,” said Rep. James Dunnigan, R-Taylorsville, who is sponsoring the bill in the House.
Now, if a developer misleadingly rates an app that could be unsafe for kids, it could be liable — Weiler’s bill creates a private right of action, tying any misrepresentation of an app to Utah’s deceptive advertising laws.
If passed, SB142 would join a growing list of laws aimed at curbing youth access to social media and the internet in the name of mental health. In 2024, the Legislature passed a bill requiring social media companies to verify the ages of all users, and place default restrictions on accounts belonging to minors. Lawmakers hoped the new restrictions would give parents a tool to restrict their children’s online presence, citing studies and stories that showed a link between social media use and depression, even suicide.
But the constitutionality of those restrictions has been questioned. The state was promptly sued by a trade association, which argued the law violated the first and 14th Amendments. In a ruling last September, a federal judge blocked the law from taking effect until the lawsuit plays out.
This report was originally published at UtahNewsDispatch.com.
