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Judiciary panel sends HB 293 to interim study after privacy and implementation concerns
Summary
The committee voted unanimously to place HB 293 (restricting minors' access to obscenity on internet‑connected devices) into interim study, with members citing existing device-set filters, pending litigation about implementation, and the complexity of parental-control tools.
The House Judiciary Committee voted to place House Bill 293 into interim study, delaying formal action while lawmakers monitor how new device-level filtering tools are implemented.
Representative Coutin moved the interim-study motion and noted that device manufacturers, including Apple, already prompt for age during setup and can automatically enable content filters and set a parent passcode. "It does automatically set this filter," she said, adding that the rollout is recent and worth watching.
The committee's subcommittee chair said the subcommittee met and that complexity around how parents set controls and pending litigation in Utah counseled patience. "We were trying to reorganize to meet again ... But in the meantime, I had done some extensive research and thought that the motion of interim study would probably be the best tact to take on this bill," the member said.
On roll call the committee recorded the motion for interim study; the clerk reported "17 yays, 0 nays" in the transcript. Representative Kuttab agreed to write the report.
What happens next: The bill will be held for study; sponsors said they will gather additional information about device behavior, implementation challenges, and federal privacy rules such as COPPA before considering further action.
