Utah Gov. Spencer Cox Commends Meta’s New Teen Accounts Initiative But Says More Is Needed

Salt Lake City, UT – On Sep 17th, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox issued a statement regarding Meta’s recent announcement of the introduction of teen accounts on Instagram, aimed at providing a safer and more controlled environment for teen users. While acknowledging the positive steps taken by Meta in response to our affirmative litigation and Utah’s social media laws, Gov. Cox emphasized that these measures are not sufficient to ensure the comprehensive safety of Utah’s youth online.

“Utah has always been at the forefront of protecting our children in the digital age, and we appreciate Meta for taking a step in the right direction with the announcement of teen accounts. Many of these new features mirror our recently passed laws, demonstrating a growing awareness of the responsibility that social media companies have towards their younger users,” said Gov. Cox. “However, while these are positive steps, we believe they do not go far enough to ensure the safety and well-being of Utah kids online. We encourage Meta, and all social media platforms, to continue to innovate and implement even stronger protections for minors.”

“I applaud the safeguards and protections in Instagram’s new teen accounts. This marks substantial progress in changing Meta’s harmful practices that continue to hurt our youth. Yet, there is still much more that Meta and other social media companies can and must do to comply with the law,” said Attorney General Sean D. Reyes. “We will continue pushing forward in our investigations, litigation, and demands to secure enforceable safety standards and healthy online environments for Utah’s children.”

Utah is proud that the specifics of our laws are being adopted by Meta. Utah has passed and worked to defend HB 464 and SB 194, which is presently enjoined. The state of Utah remains committed to pushing technology companies to create age-appropriate online experiences, and working with parents to protect kids.

Margaret Busse, executive director of the Utah Department of Commerce, also commented on Meta’s new policy, highlighting the need for robust age assurance mechanisms. “Meta’s initiative to create teen accounts with enhanced safety features is a constructive move towards protecting minors online. However, for these safety features to be truly effective, quality age assurance is an essential component. Through our ongoing investigations and litigation, we will continue to pressure social media companies to incorporate reliable age assurance processes and remove addictive features when engaging with minors. We hope that Meta’s initiative will set a precedent for other social media companies to follow suit and introduce similar accounts tailored to improving the safety of teen users. Utah will continue to advocate for and support efforts that ensure a safer online environment for our children,” Busse added.

Utahns are encouraged to visit https://socialmedia.utah.gov.