US state of Utah to severely curtail social media access for minors

Social media access for minors will be severly restricted in the US state of Utah starting next year, after Republican Governor Spencer Cox signed new legislation Thursday aiming to hold companies accountable for harm caused to the mental health of youth.

The new laws stipulate among other things that social media companies have to verify the age of Utah residents "seeking to maintain or open" an account, according to the state government.

For users under the age of 18, a parent or a guardian has to give consent before they can open an account.

"We're no longer willing to let social media companies continue to harm the mental health of our youth," Cox tweeted after signing the bills.

The laws are scheduled to come into force next year, making the state the first in the country to introduce such sweeping restrictions on social media use, according to US media.

"Utah is leading the way to fight back against the harms of social media and providing parents with more resources and controls," Utah State Senator Mike McKell was quoted as saying in a statement released by the Utah senate.

The statement cites data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) saying depression rates and mental health crises among US teens have nearly doubled since 2010. "Social media creation and use have been linked to these increased rates," it reads.

Besides parental consent, the legislation also requires social media companies to create a "default curfew setting" that blocks access between 10:30 pm and 6:30 am, according to the regional government.

Parents are also to be allowed "full access to their child's account."

It is widely expected that social media companies will challenge the new legislation in court.