New regulations for the use of social networks have been published in Uath – Telemundo Utah

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Office of Administrative Rules has published the Utah Social Media Regulatory Act (SMRA) rule, developed and filed by the Department of Commerce’s Consumer Protection Division.

The department invited the public to submit comments on the rule and share experiences with minors on social media platforms at socialmedia.utah.gov through February 5, 2024. A public hearing will be held at the Capitol in Senate Chamber 220 on November 1.

Under the SMRA, a social media company must verify whether a user is a minor and then require the user to obtain parental consent before they can open or maintain an account.

Over the past few months, the Department has researched age verification and parental consent methodologies and reviewed stakeholder input to guide the rulemaking process.

The Division determined that existing technologies can accurately verify whether a user is a minor. Social media companies can use these technologies, examples of which are included in the rule, allowing them to offer multiple secure and private options to users while balancing the cost, accuracy, and level of friction of obtaining an account.

For this reason, the Department has modeled parental consent requirements on the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) standards under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which specifies what operators of websites and online services must do to protect children’s data, privacy, and safety online.

In addition to the FTC standard, the SMRA rule will require parents to prove that they are authorized to give consent to the minor user.

“The health and well-being of our children is at stake and we take this very seriously,” said Utah Governor Spencer Cox. We are excited that the Social Media Regulation Law will come into effect. “This rule ensures that social media companies prioritize the safety and privacy of Utah youth while allowing them flexibility to choose methods that best meet their needs.”

“Low-cost technologies already exist for these companies to verify the ages of their users while protecting their privacy. As such, this rule places the onus on social media companies to accurately verify age and obtain parental consent. “This rule does not exist,” said Margaret Woolley Buss, executive director of the Utah Department of Commerce. “In addition, the department has the flexibility to improve the base as technology advances.”

After consideration of public comments, the SMRA rule will go into effect and social media companies will have until March 1, 2024 to comply. The department can impose fines of up to $2,500 per violation if a company does not comply.

Visit socialmedia.utah.gov for the latest information on Utah’s initiative to hold social media companies accountable for the harm they cause to Utah’s youth.