Group representing TikTok, Meta sues Utah over social media age limits
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A trade group representing Facebook, TikTok and X is suing Utah for its pending age restrictions on social media access.
Driving the news: In a lawsuit filed Monday, NetChoice, which represents Meta and other social media giants, argued the age verification and parental consent rules passed in March violate the First Amendment rights of children and adults.
- The lawsuit argues that the social media rules introduce "draconian penalties, designed to chill covered websites' dissemination of speech to minors—which will inevitably have spillover effects on the speech available to adults.
Catch up quick: The new rules, set to take effect March 1, 2024, would require all social media users — adult and minors alike — to provide age verification in order to access their accounts.
- Social media companies may choose from state-approved verification measures that include telephone subscriber information, the date an account was created, facial analysis, Social Security numbers and government ID matched to a live webcam image.
- Anyone under age 18 would have to get their parents' written consent to open an account, with separate authorization to use it during a "curfew" between 10:30pm and 6:30am.
- Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has said he's "confident" the law will overcome legal challenges.
The big picture: The new laws are part of a yearslong campaign by Utah officials to limit what they say are harmful effects of social media on children and teens.
- The state in October sued TikTok over alleged mental health damage to youth, and Cox has called on schools to ban cell phones in classrooms.
Zoom out: Outside Utah, pressure has grown to limit youth exposure to social media in conservative and liberal bastions alike.
- New restrictions and legal action have been undertaken by school districts and government bodies from California and Washington to Texas and Arkansas, Axios' Tina Reed reported in March.
Yes, but: Age verification laws have stalled out elsewhere.
- Australia, for example, set aside plans to require online age verification for online adult content this summer after a government study concluded the available technology was "immature."
- In a separate lawsuit, NetChoice succeeded in temporarily blocking Arkansas' age verification law in August, right before it was to take effect. A federal judge characterized the law as "an unnecessarily broad suppression of speech addressed to adults."
Flashback: Utah began requiring adult content websites to verify users' age in May.
- Many porn sites simply blocked access in Utah rather than implementing approved verification methods.
