Senate passes parental-consent, age-verification social media bill after extended debate

The Utah Senate on Monday passed first substitute Senate Bill 152, a social-media regulation measure that requires parental permission for minors to open accounts and tasks the Division of Consumer Protection with enforcement. Sponsor Senator McCall said the bill restricts data collection for minors, will require parental validation before a child may create an account and provides parental-control tools. The Senate approved the bill 28–1 and directed it be read a third time.

Supporters described the bill as a response to rising teen mental-health concerns and cited national data and medical authorities. McCall, citing research and statements from public-health officials, said age verification and limits on data collection are necessary to protect adolescents: he read a quote attributing to the U.S. Surgeon General that “13 is too early” for…