The governor who signed the laws called the services of social media companies toxic.
In the United States, the state of Utah is trying to severely limit the use of social media by people under the age of 18.
The law that will come into effect next year requires the approval of a parent or guardian for the social media accounts of minors. The law allows parents full access to the content of social media accounts, such as updates and messages. In addition, it prohibits children from using social media at night without a parent’s permission.
In Utah, the decision-makers justify the restrictions by protecting children.
The governor who signed the laws Spencer Cox called the services of social media companies toxic. According to Cox, social media has increased mental health problems among young people.
The Finnish expert considers Utah’s social media law to be a good opening.
– This is a very important, exciting initiative. It is the right approach to a very serious situation, says Someturva’s CEO and social media researcher Suvi Uski.
In his work, Uski offers solutions to various social media problem situations. He thinks it’s good that restrictive laws have started to be enacted in the United States.
– Utah’s law is quite loud-sounding, but it takes the idea in the right direction. It’s a good thing that such headlines are emerging from the United States. However, it is the home of Meta. It’s good to have a debate on your own soil. The EU has its own regulations, but they easily fall at the feet of the Americans.
Meta owns, among other things, Facebook.
Two laws restricting social media in Utah laws will enter into force in March of next year (you will switch to another service).
In the United States, summer restrictions for minors are currently being considered in five other states in addition to Utah.
Uski states that the legal systems of different countries are very different, but estimates that the restrictions of the American states could later be reflected elsewhere as well.
– I would hope that the Nordic countries would also start to take a more critical view of social media platforms and think about the right tools to improve the safety of children and young people in digital environments.
Regardless of the law, the responsibility lies with the parents
In Utah, the implementation and compliance of the restrictions written into the law depends entirely on the parents. Uski estimates that the law will nevertheless awaken people to the dangers of social media.
– The law gives parents tools to take better care of the safety and well-being of their offspring.
Uski reminds that there are many kinds of threats to minors on social media. The most serious of them are, for example, sexual crimes and emotional violence. The platforms also attract young users and have plenty of information security risks.
– Guardians are quite ignorant of the dangers to which children and young people are exposed. The Utah law is therefore in the right direction.
– The tools to intervene in a child’s use of social media may be insufficient.
Utah law allows parents to read their children’s messages on social media. According to Uski, it is important to consider and outline whether protecting the child can come before the child’s freedom of speech.
– It is an important question to consider. It can be solved by recognizing the danger posed by social media to the child. If it is not recognized, it is difficult to judge which is more important in the balance: freedom of speech or the mental and physical well-being of the child. The task of the legislators is to build the framework for this.
Instead of whining, Uski needs concrete actions to solve the problems of social media.
– I’ve been waiting for something to be done about the problems. Whining and wondering about crimes against children or hidden crimes is not the way modern society works, but we should start looking for solutions.