Subhechcha Ganguly 
Technology companies and civil liberties organisations have expressed concern about the law’s potential to limit minority youths’ access to online resources. Utah became the first US state on Thursday to compel social media companies to obtain parental approval for accounts held by minors, placing more responsibility on services like Instagram and TikTok to confirm the age of their users. The rule, which becomes operative in March 2024, was introduced in response to worries about the rising teenage social media addiction as well as security issues such online bullying, exploitation, and the gathering of children’s personal information.
But, tech companies and civil rights organisations have expressed concern that it would restrict access to online resources for underprivileged teenagers and have significant ramifications for free speech. The governor of a western US state, Spencer Cox, signed two related measures on Thursday and tweeted, “We’re no longer willing to let social media giants continue to hurt the mental health of our youngsters.”The proposals also mandate that social media companies provide parents full access to their children’s accounts and establish a “curfew” that prevents overnight access to accounts for minors.
They outline penalties for social media businesses that employ “addictive algorithms” to target users under the age of 18, and they make it simpler for parents to bring legal claims against these corporations for causing them financial, bodily, or emotional harm.The bill’s co-sponsor, state representative Jordan Teuscher, stated, “We hope that this is just the first step of many laws that we’ll see across the nation, and hopefully taken on by the federal government.”
