SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Legal experts are raising concerns about Utah’s new social media laws that passed during this year’s legislative session.

The new laws require parental approval for anyone under the age of 18, address algorithms targeted at youth and create a path for parents to sue social media companies.

Michelle Quist is a business litigation and appellate attorney with Holland & Hart. She joins us this week on Inside Utah Politics to discuss some of the concerns.

“Legally, obviously, the concern is the First Amendment issues. You know, just because youth are involved, youth have rights. The First Amendment still does apply to children, to youth. Case law has always applied the First Amendment to youth and it would still apply here.”

Representative Chris Stewart (R), Utah, is also working on the issue at the federal level. His bill would ban any one under the age of 16 from social media platforms. Quist says the same First Amendment concerns would apply to a federal law.

“Same concerns that we are limiting a child’s right to access the First Amendment, to access social media, to limit their ability to access the site, to express themselves,” she said.

Quist says the new laws also raise concerns over privacy.

“When you have to verify age, that means everyone has to verify age. When you have to get on a social media website and verify that you are not a minor, that means that you have to verify that you are an adult,” Quist said.