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Utah passes laws requiring parental permission for teens to use social media

According to the new rule, social media businesses must get parental approval before enabling children to register accounts or use their services. Parents or legal guardians must also be able to monitor their child’s social media behaviour and, if required, deactivate their account. The law has spurred a discussion about the acceptable age for children to use social media, as well as the responsibility of parents in supervising their children’s online behaviour. The law’s supporters believe that it is vital to protect children from the potential downsides of social media, such as cyberbullying, online harassment, and exposure to unsuitable information. However, some claim that the rule may be difficult to police and may violate youngsters’ right to free expression and expression.

The two laws Cox signed also forbid those under 18 from using social media between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., demand that anyone using social media in the state provide proof of their age, and prohibit tech companies from luring kids to their apps with addictive features. The limitations adopted by Utah’s Republican-majority Legislature are the most recent illustration of how politicians, particularly pro-business Republicans, are changing their attitudes towards technology businesses.

Politicians have started attempting to rein in internet behemoths like Facebook and Google because of concerns about user privacy, hate speech, misinformation, and adverse effects on teenage mental health. For more than ten years, these companies have expanded uncontrolled. On the same day that TikTok’s CEO testified before Congress on the app’s effects on kids’ mental health, Utah’s legislation was also signed. However, the federal legislative process has stalled, necessitating state intervention.

Social media companies would almost probably need to create new methods to comply with the laws that prohibit pitching adverts to minors and displaying them in search results, in addition to the parental consent regulations. Ads that are specifically targeted to users are how TikTok, Snapchat, and Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, make the majority of their revenue.

Along with New Jersey, other Republican states including Arkansas, Texas, Ohio, and Louisiana are debating similar bills. While this is going on, California approved legislation last year requiring internet firms to put children’s safety first by forbidding them from profiling children or using personal information in ways that might harm them physically or psychologically.

The laws in Utah and other states are silent on how the new limits would be applied, however. Companies are already prohibited from collecting data on children under the age of 13 without parental consent under the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. Social media companies presently forbid children under the age of 13 from registering on their platforms as a result. However, minors may simply get around this restriction, both with and without their parents’ approval. According to Cox, studies have shown that children’s “poor mental health outcomes” are a result of their time spent on social media.

Children’s advocacy organisations mostly applauded the policy, with certain limitations. A NGO that advocates for children and technology, Common Sense Media, praised the law’s goal of restricting social media’s addicting features. It “adds momentum for other states to hold social media companies accountable to ensure kids across the country are protected online,” according to Jim Steyer, CEO and founder of Common Sense. The safety and mental health of children and teens depend on legislation like this to hold big tech accountable for providing safer and better online experiences, he continued, and similar legislation is in the works in California and New Jersey.

The safety and mental health of children and teens depend on legislation like this to hold big tech accountable for providing safer and better online experiences, he continued, and similar legislation is in the works in California and New Jersey. In contrast, Steyer argued that the second bill Cox signed, which allows parents access to their children’s social media posts, will “deprive kids of the online privacy protections we advocate for.” Children and teenagers will still be exposed to businesses’ harmful data gathering and design practises once they are on the platform because the law also requires them to provide age verification and parental consent in order to register for a social media account.

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The enactment of social media regulations coincides with an increase in parental and governmental concern over young people’s use of social media platforms, as well as how sites like TikTok, Instagram, and others are affecting their mental health. The proposal is the most recent step Utah lawmakers have taken to safeguard kids and the content they could access online. Considering the risks it posed to children, Cox signed legislation two years ago requiring tech companies to automatically ban porn on cell phones and tablets sold. Legislators in the deeply religious state changed the bill to delay implementation until five other states passed similar laws out of concern for enforcement.

It is slated to take effect in March 2024, and Cox has already said he anticipates legal challenges from social media companies. The measure was immediately criticised by lobbyists for the internet industry as being illegal and infringing on people’s First Amendment rights to free expression online. According to Nicole Saad Bembridge, an associate director at the tech lobbying group NetChoice, “Utah will soon require online services to collect sensitive information about teens and families, not only to verify ages but to verify parental relationships, like government-issued IDs and birth certificates, putting their private data at risk of breach.”

Problem of children’s social media use, as well as the responsibilities of parents, educators, and governments in assuring their online safety

The usage of social media by children can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, social media may allow youngsters to connect with friends and family, share their experiences and interests, and have access to educational materials. Social media, on the other hand, can expose children to cyber bullying, unsuitable content, online predators, and other threats to their physical and mental health.

Parents, educators, and governments all have a part in safeguarding children’s internet safety. Parents may begin by monitoring their children’s social media use, limiting screen time, and having regular talks about internet safety with their children. They may also teach their children about privacy settings, safe online behavior, and how to detect and report cyber bullying and other online dangers.

Educators may include digital literacy and online safety into their curricula, educating students about digital citizenship, online ethics, and social media responsibility. They can also work with parents to give information and assistance for their children’s internet safety.

Governments may assist by enacting legislation and regulations that safeguard children’s online privacy and security, as well as collaborating with social media platforms to offer tools and resources to assist parents and educators in navigating the online world securely. They can also support research into the effects of social media on children’s well-being and create public awareness initiatives to promote safe and responsible online behaviour.

The post Utah passes laws requiring parental permission for teens to use social media first appeared on DataBonker.

Nowadays, social media not only spreads news and buzz about events but also advertises businesses and gives users a list of their available options. Social media is something we are all familiar with. On the website Facebook, users can create free profiles and communicate with friends, coworkers, and random people online. It enables users to share as many people as they wish with their own thoughts and opinions, as well as photographs, music, movies, and articles.

In India, there are a minimum of 349.7 million active Facebook members.

In order to protect its users, Facebook has recently made its lock profile features available in India. We’ll examine Facebook’s lock profile features in this article.

Facebook users in India now have the option to entirely “lock” their profiles so that only their friends can view their posts, photographs, and videos. The software giant’s most recent action is to give customers, particularly women, We are committed to providing people a safe place to express themselves. We are well aware of the worries Indians, especially women, have about protecting their online identities.

Aankhi Das, Policy Director at Facebook India, stated, “Today, we’re announcing a new tool that, with one simple step, will give individuals a lot more control, preserve their privacy, and keep them safe and secure online. They have more control over their Facebook experience.

Users in India can now “fully” hide their Facebook pages, limiting who can view their posts and images to friends. Women in India, in particular, who desire more control over their Facebook experience, are the target audience for the feature that allows you to lock your profile. As a result of the recent news, Facebook has essentially increased the feature set of its current profile photo guard, giving users total discretion over who they choose to share their profile with.

Once activated, users will be able to “simply” apply numerous current privacy settings as well as a number of new features to their Facebook profiles.

How to lock Facebook Profile: Lock Features

Facebook said that locking a profile applies numerous layers of current privacy settings as well as various fresh protections to a user’s Facebook account with just a few taps. When enabled, only friends will be able to zoom in on, share, and download profile and cover photographs as well as view photos and posts, both old and new.

A blue label will also be included on the user’s profile page to serve as a reminder that their profile is closed.

How to lock Facebook profile?

When the Profile Photo guard was turned on, others outside the user’s network could not view, zoom into, or download their full-size profile picture. Thanks to the new Facebook Profile Lock, strangers won’t be able to view pictures and posts on a user’s timeline anymore. Any photographs or postings would fall under this, regardless of when they were uploaded.

• Tap More under your name
• Tap Lock Profile
• Tap Lock Your Profile again to confirm

You cannot publish posts to the public when your profile is locked. To achieve that, you must first unlock your profile, therefore before choosing the feature, you must be totally sure of what you want to do or prefer. But it’s wonderful that Facebook now at least gives you that choice.

iPhone users need to do the following steps:

Users who own apple mobile phones can go through the following step to lock their profile on Facebook.

1. Go to Facebook and click on your name in the bottom-right, three-line menu.
2. Put three fingers on your name.
3. Use the Lock Profile button to secure your profile.
4. Tap Lock Your Profile once again to make sure.

How To Lock Your Facebook Profile On Android Devices:

Users who have android devices can follow the following steps to lock their Facebook profile.

1. Open the Facebook app on your Android device to get started.
2. On the home page, click the icon for your profile.
3. Press the Menu button with three dots.
4. From the menu on the page, select Lock Profile.

As everyone is aware, Facebook is one of the most widely used social media platforms, with billions of users. Any social media website’s main objective is to publish content for public consumption, such as images, videos, or business concepts. Using it to communicate with individuals around the globe is another option.

You can choose from a number of privacy options to alter who can view your postings, and you can even choose to make them visible to only you.

A Facebook account is required to utilize Facebook, as was previously said. With a Facebook account, you may post content, add friends, like pages, watch live videos, and more. You are entering the realm of social media by setting up a Facebook profile, which has advantages and disadvantages.

We’ll examine Facebook’s advantages and disadvantages in this piece to assist you in making the most of it.

Facebook Advantages

Facebook offers some services that we all utilize, despite the fact that many people find its operations to be objectionable. Here are a few of Facebook’s most notable advantages.

1. Networking and Communication

After setting up a profile, the user can communicate with his Facebook friends in addition to posting. Chatting is this feature, and it’s located in the lower-left portion of the Facebook screen. The user can chat with his or her pals there and see which of them are online. This is fantastic if you don’t frequently get to meet your cousins, parents, or other relatives because communication is now a lot simpler thanks to the availability of video and voice communication.

Facebook has a tonne of individuals you can connect with and share ideas with, letting you freely express yourself or perhaps meet someone new. This leads to the second advantage.

2. News and Information

Newspapers were not the most widely used news source when the first iteration of Facebook was published. The reason for this is that Facebook is home to a large number of news reporting pages where you can find news about sports, the state, the nation, and much more. Facebook is a flexible tool because it has a wealth of informative pages that offer free information to individuals who wish to learn more.

3. Facebook for Business

In terms of business development, Facebook is unparalleled! Because every firm now has a Facebook profile where they may market their own business, Facebook is significant in business. In addition, selling and buying things has been made considerably simpler.

To discover more about a firm or the cost of the products, users can message the sellers or companies directly. Feel free to advertise your business on Facebook if you run one, as it’s a terrific platform for engaging with customers and connecting with other websites.

4. Entertainment

In order to keep people interested, Facebook, a social networking platform, provides a range of entertaining content, including images, videos, and other media. Even while this can be bad if used improperly, for many individuals it is still a tremendous source of enjoyment. Looking at memes or having a conversation with someone may be really therapeutic, especially if you’re going through a trying moment in your life. Therefore, it is impossible to deny that Facebook often succeeds in making us happy.

5. Free to Use

Facebook’s cost is one of its unmistakable benefits. Facebook has always been free to use, thanks to its popularity. Because Facebook is free to use, it has expanded its user base and developed into one of the most well-liked social networking sites of all time.

Facebook’s accessibility has made it possible for users to utilize it for other purposes, including marketing, political activism, and even business. Facebook has evolved into a dynamic entity today and is still free to use. It is no longer just a basic social networking website. Even better, Facebook offers free live streaming.

FAQ

How can I 2022 hide my Facebook profile?

On Facebook, tap on the top right corner. Tap Settings, then tap Settings & privacy. You may alter the privacy settings for an option by tapping it once you scroll down to the Audience and visibility section.

How can I find out who saw my Facebook profile while using a mobile device?

Facebook does not allow users to see who has viewed their profile. Additionally, third-party apps are unable to offer this feature. Please report the app if you come across one that makes this claim. Was that of any use?

What nation can lock a Facebook profile in 2022?

The majority of nations, including those in the United States and Canada, do not offer profile locking. Only citizens of Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Iraq, Myanmar, Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Ukraine will be able to lock their profiles as of May 2022.

We anticipate that all of our Facebook users will find this article to be helpful.

The post How to lock Facebook Profile or Account? Facebook introduces ‘Lock Profile’ option in India first appeared on DataBonker.