Happy Saturday, and welcome to Inside Voices, a weekly newsletter that features a collection of ideas, perspectives and solutions from across Utah — without any of the vitriol or yelling that’s become all too common on other platforms. Subscribe here.

In recent years, Utah has taken a stance against social media platforms. The state has filed lawsuits accusing companies of hooking young users with addictive features and has passed legislation requiring parents to approve apps that their children download.

The dangers of social media “are not simply an abstraction,” Utah Attorney General Derek Brown writes in an op-ed. “I’ve seen the evidence. I’ve read the internal documents. And I can tell you that what these companies know about the harm they cause — and their willingness to continue anyway — should keep every parent in America awake at night.”

And it’s not just social media — online gambling and AI chatbots are putting kids at risk, too, he writes.

“All of these online threats appear to have the same underlying goal: Identify what makes a child vulnerable, automate the exploitation and scale it to every device on earth. Utah refuses to be a testing ground for that depraved economy. We will keep filing cutting-edge lawsuits, pushing legislation and demanding accountability from companies that have grown wealthy by treating childhood as just another source of revenue.”

While the state continues to fight in the courtroom, Utah’s youngest have shared how they feel about the apps in question.

Highland senior Ali Jadallah said last spring that social media helps him to learn about — and speak out about — injustice he sees.

For Naomi Parnell, another senior at Highland, that constant access to news and information can be anxiety-inducing.

And sophomore Hillary Kimble wrote in an op-ed that she’s aware of how being on her phone all day can be harmful and that she wants to reduce screentime, but that “the very generation who created the internet and smartphones are the same people who tell us we have a problem.”

I want to hear from you: Is there a balance to be found between using social media as a tool for connection and protecting young users? How do we find it? Let me know what you think.

Utah Voices

Take a look at these op-eds and letters to the editor recently published in The Tribune:

As a Utah doctor, I see why measles is spreading — and how we can stop it.

These are the times that try us, Sharon McMahon writes to college graduates. But a hard time is not the same as a hopeless time.

Timed-entry alone won’t save Arches from overcrowding.

A Supreme Court case could upend lives in Utah. Our values are on the line.

Before Utah welcomes data centers, communities deserve answers.

Share Your Perspective

As Utah plans to build data centers around the state, I want to hear from you: What concerns do you have? What would you like to see be done?

I’m always looking for unique perspectives, ideas and solutions that move our state forward. Learn more about our guidelines for an op-ed, guest essay, letter to the editor and more here, and drop me a note at voices@sltrib.com.