Kids to require parental consent to access social media apps under new Utah law
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Children and teenagers in Utah are to lose access to social media apps such as TikTok if they don't have parental consent and would face other restrictions under a first-in-the-nation law designed to shield young people from the addictive apps. The two bills Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed into law also prohibit kids under 18 from using social media between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., require age verification for anyone who wants to use social media in the state and seek to prevent tech companies from luring kids to their apps using addictive features. The laws passed through Utah's GOP-supermajority Legislature reflect changing perceptions of both Democrats and Republicans toward technology companies. Tech giants like Facebook and Google have enjoyed unbridled growth for over a decade, but amid concerns over user privacy, hate speech, misinformation and harmful effects on teens' mental health, lawmakers have