Utah, USA, passes a law restricting access to social networks to minors under 18 | The National Gazette
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Utah, in the US, passes a law restricting access of minors under the age of 18 to social media
More and more common complaint by parents.
“We had a lot of problems with social networks, because they loved it and the cell phone they use today in the bedroom. There’s no way you can control it, and I’m not going to knock on the door. ‘Turn it off? What’s up?'” says photographer Andreza Rocha.
Andreza is a mother of three teenagers. The family lives in Utah, which has passed a law to restrict the use of social media among those under the age of 18.
Youth will need permission from a parent or legal guardian to open and maintain accounts and will also not be able to use the networks between 10:30pm and 6:30amunless authorized by the parents, because they will have full access to their children’s accounts.
All this begins to take effect in March next year. A social network that does not comply with the law can be fined in excess of R$1 million.
today, Six US states are considering adopting similar laws: Texas, Arkansas, Ohio, Louisiana, Connecticut, and New Jersey.
The governor of Utah, a state considered conservative, explained the motivation behind the law’s passage:
“Rates of depression and other mental health issues are on the rise among young adults, and social media companies know their products are toxic.”
Talking to people who don’t take their eyes off the screen is annoying, but people who often use their cell phones don’t even notice. It’s like an addiction. You American teens spend an average of nine hours a day on screensAlmost five times more than recommended by doctors.
While the law does not come into force, Andreza has installed an application on her children’s cell phones to control when they use social networks, but this does not always work.
“They actually figured out the password and used it a few times. It took a long time for me to figure it out. So I have to change the password intermittently,” says Andreza.
“Devoted food specialist. General alcohol fanatic. Amateur explorer. Infuriatingly humble social media scholar. Analyst.”
