Utah Senate Bill 152, Social Media Regulations, requires anyone with a social media account to verify their age using a government-issued ID. The intent is to block children under age 18 from those platforms without parental consent and to insert other parental controls on usage. It also regulates certain functions of the platforms themselves, such as advertising and content algorithms. SB 152 impacts any site with over five million users who are able to post content and share it publicly. Facebook and Instagram are two of many examples.
At first blush, protecting kids from the dangers of social media sounds laudable. But on further inspection, SB152 raises serious concerns. I was surprised to learn that SB 152 is so alarming that it has garnered national attention as an example of legislation aimed at stifling online speech. In an interview with New York magazine’s Pivot podcast, Attorney Jeff Kosseff says Utah’s SB152 shows “a creeping willingness to challenge what we thought were long-established First Amendment protections.”
Columnist Larry Magrid from the San Jose Mercury News wrote that the Utah bill is legislation masquerading under the guise of safety when it could, in fact, erode freedom of speech.
I agree. SB152 may increase online safety for our youth, but it clearly limits access to forums where they currently exercise a protected freedom.
Additionally, this bill raises concerns about the privacy of data from government IDs that will link to these accounts. Beyond platform employees, the list of “others” who, legitimately or otherwise, could potentially gain access includes advertisers, political parties, hackers, and the government. In brief, this bill further jeopardizes our privacy and starts us down a slippery slope to a place where, like China, the government tracks every internet move, culminating in a late-night knock on the door.
Luanne Hudson, Centerville