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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's much-discussed social media regulations were slated to go into effect in less than two months, on March 1, before Gov. Spencer Cox on Friday signed the first bill of the 2024 legislative session to push its effective date back to Oct. 1.
The bill, SB89, was passed quickly by lawmakers in both chambers during the first week of the session and is the first of what are expected to be several tweaks to the policy over the coming weeks. Utah residents and a tech industry group have filed lawsuits asking that the Social Media Regulation Act be blocked before it goes into effect.
Future legislation may shift the effective date yet again, but pushing back the initial date gives lawmakers more time to revamp the regulations — which currently require that minors get parental consent before signing up for social media accounts, along with account curfews and other parental controls.
"While pushing back the effective date gives us more time to incorporate more feedback into the law, we are as committed as ever to protecting our children from the harms of social media," Cox said.
SB89 was sponsored by Senate Majority Assistant Whip Kirk Cullimore, R-Sandy, with Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan, serving as the House sponsor. The pair of lawmakers — along with Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork — were the primary architects of last year's social media bills, which Cox championed vociferously.
Teuscher told KSL NewsRadio's "Inside Sources" that more substantial changes to the Social Media Regulation Act could be introduced in the coming weeks. While he didn't offer any specifics, Teuscher said lawmakers have "some good ideas ... that really, I think, do a better job of balancing it."
