Cybersecurity Policy Report, Bill to Protect Minors’ Social Media Privacy Sent to Utah Governor, (Mar 13, 2024)
A bill called the Utah Minor Protection in Social Media Act, which would require, among other things, social media companies to verify a new account holder’s age using an approved system, has been sent to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R.) for his signature.
SB 194 further requires social media companies to set default privacy settings for minor users to prioritize maximum privacy, including settings that restrict visibility of a minor’s account to only connected accounts; restrict any data collection and sale of data from a Utah minor account holder's account; disable search engine indexing of Utah minor account holder profiles; and restrict a minor’s ability to utilize direct messaging. The default privacy settings can only be changed after obtaining parental consent, according to bill.
The bill additionally seeks to prevent social media companies from collecting and selling data on minors without consent from a verifiable parent or legal guardian.
The bill was sponsored by Sen. Michael McKell (R.).
The bill has an effective date of Oct. 1.
News: StateLegislation DataPrivacy