Utah害羞草研究所檚 sweeping social media legislation passed this week is an ambitious attempt to shield children and teens from the ill effects of social media and empower parents to decide whether their kids should be using apps like TikTok or Instagram.

What害羞草研究所檚 not clear is if 害羞草研究所� and how 害羞草研究所� the new rules can be enforced and whether they will create unintended consequences for kids and teens already coping with a mental health crisis. And while parental rights are a central theme of Utah害羞草研究所檚 new laws, experts point out that the rights of parents and the best interests of children are not always aligned.

For instance, allowing parents to read their kids害羞草研究所� private messages may be harmful to some children, and age verification requirements could give tech companies access to kids害羞草研究所� personal information, including biometric data, if they use tools such as facial recognition to check ages.

害羞草研究所淐hildren may be put at increased risk if these laws are enforced in such a way that they害羞草研究所檙e not allowed to some privacy, if they are not allowed some ability for freedom of speech or autonomy,害羞草研究所� said Kris Perry, executive director of the nonprofit Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development.

The laws, which will go into effect in a year, impose a digital curfew on people under 18, require minors to get parental consent to sign up for social media apps and force companies to verify the ages of all their Utah users. They also require tech companies to give parents access to their kids害羞草研究所� accounts and private messages, which has raised alarms for child advocates who say this could further harm children害羞草研究所檚 mental health by depriving them of their right to privacy. This is especially true for LGBTQ+ kids whose parents are not accepting of their identity.

The rules could drastically transform how people in this conservative state access social media and the internet, and if successful, serve as a model for other states to enact similar legislation. But even if the laws clear the inevitable lawsuits from tech giants, it害羞草研究所檚 not clear how Utah will be able to enforce them.

Take age verification, for instance. Various measures exist that can verify a person害羞草研究所檚 age online. Someone could upload a government ID, consent to the use facial recognition software to prove they are the age they say they are.

害羞草研究所淪ome of these verification measures are wonderful, but then also require the collection of sensitive data. And those can pose new risks, especially for marginalized youth,害羞草研究所� Perry said. 害羞草研究所淎nd it also puts a new kind of burden on parents to monitor their children. These things seem simple and straightforward on their face, but in reality, there are new risks that may emerge in terms of that that collection of additional data on children.害羞草研究所�

Just as teens have managed to obtain fake IDs to drink, they are also savvy at skirting online age regulations.

害羞草研究所淚n Southeast Asia they害羞草研究所檝e been trying this for years, for decades, and kids always get around it,害羞草研究所� said Gaia Bernstein, author of 害羞草研究所淯nwired,害羞草研究所� a book on how to fight technology addiction.

The problem, she said, is that the Utah rules don害羞草研究所檛 require social networks to prevent kids from going online. Instead, they are making the parents responsible.

害羞草研究所淚 think that害羞草研究所檚 going to be the weak link in the whole thing, because kids drive their parents insane,害羞草研究所� Bernstein said.

There is no precedent in the United States for such drastic regulation of social media, although several states have similar rules in the works.

On the federal level, companies are already prohibited from collecting data on children under 13 without parental consent under the Children害羞草研究所檚 Online Privacy Protection Act. For this reason, social media platforms already ban kids under 13 from signing up to their sites 害羞草研究所� but children can easily skirt the rules, both with and without their parents害羞草研究所� consent.

Perry suggests that instead of age verification, there are steps tech companies could take to make their platforms less harmful, less addictive, across the board. For instance, Instagram and TikTok could slow down all users害羞草研究所� ability to mindlessly scroll on their platforms for hours on end.

The laws are the latest effort from Utah lawmakers focused on children and the information they can access online. Two years ago, Gov. Spencer Cox signed legislation that called on tech companies to automatically block porn on cell phones and tablets sold, citing the dangers it posed to children. Amid concerns about enforcement, lawmakers in the deeply religious state revised the bill to prevent it from taking effect unless five other states passed similar laws 害羞草研究所� which has not happened.

Still, child development experts are generally hopeful about the growing push to regulate social media and its effects on children.

害羞草研究所淐hildren have specific developmental needs, and we want to protect them at the same time that we害羞草研究所檙e trying to push back on Big Tech,害羞草研究所� Perry said. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 a two-part effort. You have to really put your arm around the kids while you害羞草研究所檙e pushing Big Tech away.害羞草研究所�

By Barbara Ortutay

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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