SALT LAKE CITY — A bill requiring parental consent for minors to use social media accounts was passed unanimously by the Utah House Judiciary Committee Friday.
“Quite honestly, I think this is maybe one of the most important bills that we will consider this session," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Jordan Teuscher.
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The original draft of the bill included a total ban on kids under the age of 16 having social media accounts.
That was removed from the now-approved version, which would require parents to give consent for their children to use social media.
Also removed from the first version was proof of a government ID by parents.
“The original bill before the amendment showed that you had to provide proof of your age and who you were. Well, that proof is from a government ID, the government ID is linked to you your address, all your information and also to your children because your address is obvious to their address," said mother of five Tiffany Barker.
Barker said she appreciates the changes to the bill, but still has concerns with the parental consent requirement.
“I don't think it's the government's job to tell us how to parent," she said, "And so I don't like the government coming in and saying, 'These are the rules you have to implement for your children.' I like them to know that I know best for my child.”
Those who spoke in support of the legislation like Granite School District spokesman Ben Horsley said they believe it gives parents more control.
“All this is doing is empowering parents with tools and resources to manage what is a potentially dangerous, emotional challenge for our kids," said Horsley.
Horsley said social media is damaging to the school system, its students and staff.
“It breaks my heart to see, on a daily basis, law enforcement and our school administrators dealing with our children's wellbeing, investigating — literally hundreds of hours spent investigating — fake threats that cause unnecessary panic for our kids, cyberbullying, other challenges," said Horsley.
Teuscher's bill also makes it easier for parents to sue social media companies for harm the platforms cause to their children.
The bill now moves on to the House floor with Teuscher vowing he will work on addressing data privacy concerns raised by committee members and those who spoke at the meeting.
