Utah has once again enacted legislation aimed at imposing new restrictions on children’s access to social media and other applications. The state legislature has passed a bill that mandates app store operators to verify the ages of users and obtain parental consent for app downloads. If the governor signs the bill into law, it would be, as The Verge notes, the first such measure in the United States.

Utah has previously attempted to limit children’s use of social media. In 2023, the state passed two laws that required social media companies to implement age verification and obtain parental permission. However, these laws were later revised due to legal challenges, and a Utah judge blocked them from taking effect last fall.

The “App Store Accountability Act” takes a different approach by placing the responsibility on app stores, such as Apple and Google, to conduct age verification and obtain parental permission, rather than individual social media platforms. Not surprisingly, Meta and other social media companies have long preferred this app store-centric approach to age verification.

On Wednesday, Meta, Snap, and X issued a rare joint statement praising the Utah measure. The companies stated, “Parents want a one-stop shop to verify their child’s age and grant permission for them to download apps in a privacy-preserving way. The app store is the best place for it, and more than a quarter of states have introduced bills recognizing the central role app stores play. We applaud Utah for putting parents in charge with its landmark legislation and urge Congress to follow suit.”

So far, Apple and Google have not publicly commented on Utah’s bill, although we have reached out to both companies for comment.

Given the controversy surrounding previous attempts to impose age verification requirements on platforms, the Utah bill is likely to face legal challenges if and when it is signed into law. Nevertheless, other states are likely to follow Utah’s lead on this issue, with at least eight more states considering similar measures.