SALT LAKE CITY — Governor Spencer Cox held a ceremonial bill signing event on Friday for a series of bills that take aim at smartphones and tech companies.
"Three bills we’re celebrating around tech safety," the governor told a crowded room on Utah's Capitol Hill. "About holding social media companies, tech companies accountable. That is so important."
Rep. Doug Fiefia's bill on social media portability essentially lets you take your data with you if you transfer platforms (say you're going from X to Bluesky). Under House Bill 418, you can also demand the old platform delete your data and it should stay that way.
"We choose people over platforms, families over profit, the greater good over an unchecked algorithm," said Rep. Fiefia, R-Herriman.
Another bill requires app stores to now do age verification and block children from downloading apps without parental consent. Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, argued that 12-year-olds can't sign contracts to buy houses or cars, so why would they be allowed to download apps?
New law bans Utah students from using cell phones in school:
Senate Bill 142 had support from Meta, X and Snap. Google has raised concerns about the bill.
"This level of data sharing isn’t necessary — a weather app doesn’t need to know if a user is a kid. By contrast, a social media app does need to make significant decisions about age-appropriate content and features," Google said in a blog post objecting to the bill. "As written, however, the bill helps social media companies avoid that responsibility despite the fact that apps are just one of many ways that kids can access these platforms. And by requiring app stores to obtain parental consent for every single app download, it dictates how parents supervise their kids and potentially cuts teens off from digital services like educational or navigation apps."
Corinne Johnson, the head of Utah Parents United, which pushed the bill in the state legislature, insisted the app stores can comply.
"We have an addictive substance on the market. There is a distributor. Those are the app stores, Apple and Google, and it is their responsibility to control addictive content. They 100% can," she told FOX 13 News on Friday.
Gov. Cox in particular praised Senate Bill 178, which now enacts a default policy that prohibits smartphones and smart watches in classrooms. The governor said it "may be one of the most important things we’ve done in a decade in our state when it comes to helping our kids."
The bill requires school districts to enact a policy that can be more restrictive or less restrictive, but the default position shifts from allowing phones to banning them during classroom instruction time. The Policy Project pushed for the legislation with support from some students. Some schools have already enacted policies.
"I feel like the first week was maybe a little bit difficult," said Milan Venegas, a Timpview High School senior who testified in support of the bill and experienced the ban.
But Venegas said there are benefits to not having a phone and constant notifications around.
"I was able to connect with my peers more as compared to my first semester when I was talking to my peers, ignoring me, maybe because they were on their phones," he told FOX 13 News. "But because we have them away now we’re able to connect and talk more."
There are exceptions to the ban for emergencies, and students are also allowed to access their devices in the hallways, at recess or at lunch. But Gov. Cox said he wanted the bill to go further.
"Sadly, we didn’t get bell-to-bell," he said, referring to the entire school day. "I’m hoping we can work on that."
Unless there are legal challenges, all three bills are expected to take effect later this year.
