{"id":2128236,"date":"2023-12-18T15:43:02","date_gmt":"2023-12-18T20:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/industry-sues-to-stop-utah-law-restricting-teenage-social-media-use\/"},"modified":"2023-12-18T15:48:12","modified_gmt":"2023-12-18T20:48:12","slug":"industry-sues-to-stop-utah-law-restricting-teenage-social-media-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/industry-sues-to-stop-utah-law-restricting-teenage-social-media-use\/","title":{"rendered":"Industry sues to halt Utah law limiting teen social media access"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Findustry-sues-to-stop-utah-law-restricting-teenage-social-media-use%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2128236&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>An Industry Group \u200dChallenges Utah&#8217;s Social Media Restrictions for Teenagers<\/h2>\n<p>An industry group, NetChoice, has taken legal action against Utah&#8217;s law that imposes broad restrictions on social media for teenagers. The group filed a lawsuit in the U.S.\u200c District Court for the District \u2063of\u200d Utah, challenging the \u2063Utah Social Media Regulation Act. \u2063This act, signed by Governor Spencer Cox, requires \u2063<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-new-acting-attorney-general-jeff-rosen-recently-wrote-an-essay-on-foreign-influence-in-us-elections-this-tells-us-a-little-about-his-knowledge-of-whats-going-on-today\/\" title=\"The New Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen Recently Wrote an Essay on Foreign Influence in US Elections \u2013 This Tells Us A Little About His Knowledge of What\u2019s Going On Today\">social media platforms<\/a> to obtain parental permission\u200b for teenagers to open accounts and verify users&#8217; ages before creating new accounts. Additionally, the law implements a curfew on social media \u200cusage for teenagers between 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.<\/p>\n<h3>NetChoice Argues for Free Speech<\/h3>\n<blockquote>\n<p>NetChoice argues that these restrictions infringe upon free speech rights. The lawsuit states, &#8220;The \u200cAct restricts who can express themselves, \u2063what\u2062 can be said, and when and how speech on covered websites can occur, down to the very \u2063hours of \u2064the day\u2062 minors can use covered websites. The First Amendment, reinforced by decades of precedent, allows none\u200c of \u2062this.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The industry group contends that the law violates the First \u200bAmendment, \u200bthe 14th Amendment, and federal law. They argue\u200b that it unlawfully limits minors&#8217; access to legal content. For instance, the social media curfew would prevent teenagers from accessing news, communicating with friends, or utilizing\u2063 educational tools for eight\u200b hours \u2064a day.<\/p>\n<h3>Concerns About Social Media and\u2064 Teenagers<\/h3>\n<p>While Governor Cox supports the law, expressing concerns about the negative impact \u200bof social \u200dmedia on \u2062youth, NetChoice agrees with \u2062these concerns but \u2064believes that constitutional protections should not be disregarded in the \u200cprocess.<\/p>\n<p>Chris Marchese,\u2062 the director of the NetChoice Litigation Center, stated, &#8220;[W]e are fighting to ensure that\u200d all Utahans can embrace digital tools without the\u200c forceful clutch of government control.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>NetChoice has previously challenged similar laws in California and Arkansas, successfully getting\u2063 them \u200bblocked. The group also\u200c faces upcoming oral arguments before the \u2063Supreme Court in 2024 regarding the constitutionality of Texas&#8217;s and Florida&#8217;s laws that restrict content removal from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/people-who-trash-their-family-in-public-cant-be-trusted\/\" title=\"Don't trust those who publicly criticize their own family.\">social\u200c media platforms<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Click here to read more from The Washington Examiner.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What are the arguments made by NetChoice against Utah&#8217;s Social Media Regulation Act?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u2064 Governor Spencer Cox \u200cin May, aims to \u2063protect teenagers from cyberbullying and online predators by\u2063 mandating social media platforms to verify the age of their users and allow parents to request content removal on behalf of their children. However, NetChoice argues that the\u2064 law is an overreach that violates the First \u200bAmendment rights of teenagers and imposes unnecessary burdens on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-family-scandals-are-so-much-bigger-than-hunters-hookers-and-burisma-bribery\/\" title=\"Biden family scandals go beyond Hunter's involvement with hookers and Burisma bribery.\">social\u2062 media companies<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The\u2064 Utah Social Media Regulation Act requires \u2063all social media platforms to prompt users to enter their birthdates and verify their \u2063age before creating an account. If the user\u2063 is under 18, the platform must obtain consent from a parent or legal guardian. Additionally, the law enables parents to request the removal of content that they deem\u2064 harmful or inappropriate\u2063 for their children. Failure\u2063 to comply with these regulations can \u200blead to penalizing fines for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ga-poll-watcher-it-expert-non-trump-supporter-affidavit-sudden-surge-of-20000-mail-in-votes-for-biden-in-early-hours-on-nov\/\" title=\"GA Poll Watcher, IT Expert, Non-Trump Supporter Affidavit: Sudden Surge of 20,000 Mail-In-Votes For Biden In Early Hours On Nov\">social media companies<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>NetChoice, a \u200dtrade association representing internet companies such as Facebook, Google, and Twitter,\u2064 argues that the \u200dlaw \u200cinfringes on teenagers&#8217; freedom of speech rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. The group argues that social media platforms\u200d are platforms for public expression, and limiting access to these platforms based on age violates the principles of free speech and equal access to information.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, NetChoice claims that the law places an excessive burden on social media companies, forcing them\u200d to verify\u200d the age of all users and obtain consent from parents. The trade\u2064 association argues that implementing such measures would be costly and\u2063 impractical\u2064 for companies\u200d that operate on a global scale. Moreover, the law could undermine the safety measures already in place on these platforms, as users may seek less secure alternatives if they are unable to access mainstream social \u200bmedia sites.<\/p>\n<p>NetChoice&#8217;s legal challenge to\u2064 Utah&#8217;s social media restrictions represents a broader debate over the \u200dregulation of social media and the balance between protecting teenagers&#8217; safety and preserving their \u200dconstitutional rights. Opponents of these regulations argue that parents should be responsible for monitoring their children&#8217;s online activities and\u2063 that restrictions on social media platforms will only create\u2062 a false sense of security.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, proponents of the law\u2063 argue that it is necessary \u2064to address the rising concerns of cyberbullying and online predatory\u200d behavior targeting teenagers. They argue \u2064that social media platforms have \u200ba responsibility to protect the well-being of their young users and that verifying age and allowing parental control are essential steps towards achieving this goal.<\/p>\n<p>The outcome of \u2063NetChoice&#8217;s lawsuit will undoubtedly have broader implications for similar regulations in other states and the ongoing debate\u2063 surrounding the\u2063 role of social media platforms in protecting teenagers while\u2063 safeguarding their freedom of speech. Finding the right balance between online safety \u2062and individual rights is\u200b a complex task that requires\u200b careful \u2064consideration and collaboration between lawmakers, industry groups, and advocates for free speech.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An industry group, NetChoice, has taken legal action against Utah&#8217;s law that imposes extensive social media restrictions on teenagers. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, challenging Attorney General Sean Reyes and Division of Consumer Protection Director Katherine Hass<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2128237,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2128236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2128236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2128236"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2128236\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2128237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2128236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2128236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2128236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}