Utah governor set to sue social media firms over youth harm.
Gov. Spencer Cox Plans to Sue Social Media Companies Over Harm to Utah Youth
Gov. Spencer Cox (R-UT) has announced his intention to take legal action against various social media companies, holding them accountable for the harm caused to Utah’s youth. This comes several months after Cox implemented new regulations aimed at limiting young people’s access to social media.
During an appearance on CBS News’s Face the Nation, Cox revealed that lawsuits will be filed “in the coming months” to ensure that social media companies are held responsible for their actions.
“We believe they’ve known about the dangers; some of this has been leaked out, Meta and others, very clear evidence that they knew the harms that their products were causing to kids, and that they intentionally tried to hide that information,” Cox stated on Sunday.
In March, the governor signed a series of bills into law that regulate and restrict teenagers’ and children’s access to social media. These laws include age requirements and parental access, setting the stage for a clash with the social media industry. The industry argues that these bills infringe upon teenagers’ First Amendment rights.
While several states have been advocating for laws to regulate the impact of social media on teenagers, Utah’s laws are the first of their kind in the United States.
Cox acknowledges that enforcing these laws will be challenging and anticipates facing legal opposition.
“I suspect that at some point, the Supreme Court will weigh in on this decision when it comes to restricting youth access,” Cox expressed.
“What we’re trying to do is give families more control over what is happening on social media,” Cox emphasized. “When you look at the new research that’s coming out, there’s not just a correlation between social media use and an increase in suicide, anxiety, depression, self-harm; there is a causal link there.”
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