The small-government, no-regulation Republicans in Utah, fresh off passing novel new regulations on social media companies that have little likelihood of enforcement, are planning to sue those platforms for harm done to children, says Republican Utah Governor Spencer Cox.
Politico reports Cox wants to hold the companies “accountable” for what he calls dangers to children “they’ve known about the dangers, some of this has been leaked out, Meta and others, very clear evidence that they knew the harms that their products were causing to kids, and that they intentionally tried to hide that information.”
Earlier this year, the Republican-dominated legislature passed legislation, signed into law by Cox, that would require social media companies to obtain a parent’s permission before a minor can sign up, to confirm a new account holder’s age, and to establish times when a minor can be on social media. “I suspect that at some point, the Supreme Court will weigh in on this decision when it comes to restricting youth access,” Cox said Sunday.