SALT LAKE CITY — To Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who's previously said he "can't wait" to fight an expected lawsuit over the state's recently passed legislation to clamp down on social media companies, the grasp popular platforms like TikTok have on kids is nothing less than an addiction.
Cox said he knows parents "who have had their kids go through addictive treatment to break them of this social media addiction that they have. They've tried everything."Cox's comments come after he recently signed two bills that make Utah the first state in the U.S. towithout express permission from a parent or guardian.
While the legislation didn't define how companies will verify a user's age, advocates of the new rules say Louisiana could be a model; it requires age verification for online pornography sites.Cox acknowledged that "kids are smart, kids can find a way around" the law, but "we have to start somewhere. We really do have to try. That's what we're attempting to do, to break this terrible addiction that is causing immense harm to our kids.
"They know where we live, they know where we shop, they know what we think, eat, drink, sleep. And so suddenly, people are panicked about, 'Oh no, they might know I'm a minor, I just don't see that as a problem at all.'" , especially teen girls, and said the aim of Utah's legislation is to push social media companies to "turn off those addictive algorithms," especially for minors, and to "help prevent the predatory things that are happening on social media so random strangers and adults don't show up in timeline, and can't message you directly or connect with you without your permission or the permission of your parents.