Pinterest is not targeting Utah with age restrictions

Pinterest has added a pop-up box for age confirmation, fueling concerns it could be restricting access specifically in Utah due to new laws requiring social media to verify users' ages.

Reality check: The pop-up is appearing for users everywhere, not just in Utah.

• The site is requiring birthdates to personalize content and encourage compliance with its age requirement of 13 years, Pinterest confirmed.

Context: Utah lawmakers this year passed multiple laws requiring age verification to use social media platforms.

• Most sites — like Pinterest — will have to verify ages beginning in March 2024.

Yes, but: The law began requiring adult content sites to obtain ID from users last Wednesday, a switch that prompted Pornhub and a few others to block access in Utah — right as some Pinterest users were discovering the birthdate form.

• Pornhub and other adult content creators have sued the state.

Details: Pinterest is a platform where users largely share creative content and project ideas, mostly pertaining to art, crafts, cooking, entertaining, fashion and home improvement.

• Its terms of service state the site limits distribution or removes pornography and other explicit content.