Utah Governor Spencer Cox announced Monday that he’s suing a bevy of social media giants on behalf of his state. He’s said they’ve caused “too much harm” to Utah’s kids.
Four months ago, Cox signed a bill that severely limited TikTok for users under 18 years old.
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If a parent approves the usage of TikTok, his law says parents must have a legal right and be able to access any content their children post or message privately. From 10:30pm to 6:30am, Cox made TikTok inaccessible for kids, unless their parents take the effort to deliberately override it. And strangers are no longer able message children. He’s aiming to expand the law to include Facebook and Instagram as well.
Now, Cox wants the Supreme Court to shut down these apps once and for all. Cox was one of the first governors to instill some bans on social media companies, so he appears to want some national recognition for his foresight. “I’m sure we’ll have social media companies suing the state of Utah. In fact, we’re going to be suing social media companies for the harm and damage that they’re causing our young people. I suspect that at some point, the Supreme Court will weigh in on this decision when it comes to restricting youth access. What we’re trying to do is give families more control over what is happening on social media,” he said.
Of course, if the US Supreme Court rules nationally that the US will have to follow Utah’s rules, Cox would get a lot of credit for getting the wheels in motion.
This comes on the heels of a bill that a group of bipartisan senators — introduced in Washington DC — that bans anyone under the age of 13 from using most social media platforms.
Still, free-speech advocates argue that these efforts are just plain un-American. Noted 1st Amendment attorney Ari Cohn decried Cox’s actions, especially after he said he was “excited” to go to court with these various tech behemoths. “Imagine being excited to go to court claiming that the government should have the power to limit expressive rights,” Cohn said.
Imagine being *excited* to go to court claiming that the government should have the power to limit expressive rights.
This is just not it. Protecting kids is a complicated issue, and deserves careful thought–not harried nonsense that tramples on civil liberties. https://t.co/nnr6kzI0QT
— Ari Cohn (@AriCohn) March 16, 2023
Cox might find he has allies in socially conservative circles, but he’ll certainly be met with a ton of pushback. Consider this the next great political war for at least the next decade.
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