Utah Law Could Curb Use of TikTok and Instagram by Children and Teens

 Utah Law Could Curb Use of TikTok and Instagram by Children and Teens
The law, which prohibits social networks from allowing minors to have accounts without parental consent, may come as welcome news to many families even as it raises privacy concerns.

In January, Lucy Loewen, 13, testified in a hearing in Salt Lake City about social media use among youths.Credit...Jeffrey D. Allred/Deseret News

 It is the first state law in the nation that will prohibit social media services from allowing users under 18 to have accounts without the explicit consent of a parent or guardian.

The new measure will also require social networks to give Utah parents access to their children’s posts, messages and responses. And it will require social media services to block Utah minors from accessing their accounts from 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., a default setting that only a parent or guardian will be able to modify.