Utah Enacts Tech Laws on Youth Safety and Data Privacy

April 7, 2025 — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, R, has signed a trio of  bills aimed at increasing protections for minors online, asserting the state’s leadership in tech regulation.

“These are first-of-their-kind bills,” Gov. Cox said, when he signed the bills last month. “Utah is leading out in this effort.” 

All three laws include delayed implementation dates to allow compliance and legal review, but lawmakers believe the contract-based focus makes them more lawsuit-resistant than previous efforts, which focused on regulating content.

The App Store Accountability Act (SB142), requires app stores like Apple and Google to verify users’ ages and obtain annual parental consent for minors. Minor accounts must be affiliated with a parent account and will be placed in one of three age categories: child (under 13), younger teenager (13-16) or older teenager (16-18). It creates a right for parents to sue if developers or stores bypass consent or mishandle age verification data. 

“While we need to embrace technology as part of our future, we also need to protect children,” said Aimee Winder Newton, director of Utah’s Office of Families.

The Data Sharing Amendments (HB418) give users the right to delete or transfer their data across platforms and require social media companies to obtain explicit consent before sharing it. A third law, SB178, bans student use of personal devices during class in public schools.

Tech giants Apple and Google opposed the App Store Accountability bill, citing privacy concerns. Google’s policy director, Kareem Ghanem, warned it “introduces new privacy risks for minors by informing every developer of users’ ages.”