TikTok and Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:FB) are among social media firms to have launched legal action against Utah state over stricter rules on children using such apps.
Under laws signed in March by governor Spencer Cox, children will be barred from using social media between the hours of 22:30 and 06:30 local time without parental consent.
Children will also have to provide age verification to open and maintain accounts, with social media firms set to face fines if they fail to obtain such proof.
However, NetChoice, which represents TikTok, Snap Inc (NYSE:SNAP), Meta and X, sued the state on Monday, arguing such rules were unconstitutional.
The rules, which are set to come into force next March, would compromise data security and restrict access to public content, the group claimed.
“We are fighting to ensure that all Utahns can embrace digital tools without the forceful clutch of government control,” NetChoice director Chris Marchese said.
Cox had previously said there would likely be lawsuits against the new rules, but pointed to research increasingly linking use of social media to child mental health issues.
“I’m not going to back down from a potential legal challenge when these companies are killing our kids,” he argued previously.
“The state of Utah is reviewing the lawsuit but remains intently focused on the goal of this legislation: Protecting young people from negative and harmful effects of social media use,” a spokesperson added on Monday.