Utah

Subnational jurisdiction · as of 2026-07-15

Utah's adult content age verification law has been in effect since 2023 and was amended in 2026 to add Division of Consumer Protection enforcement, a VPN anti-circumvention rule, and an excise tax, an amendment now under constitutional challenge by Aylo. Utah's first in the nation 2023 Social Media Regulation Act was repealed and replaced in 2024 by the Utah Minor Protection in Social Media Act plus a companion private right of action act, which remain preliminarily enjoined pending a Tenth Circuit appeal argued in November 2025. Utah's first in the nation App Store Accountability Act (2025) was amended in March 2026 to remove Attorney General enforcement and delay its substantive requirements to May 6, 2027, which mooted the industry's constitutional challenge. Utah has not enacted a standalone design code law.

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Instruments on record

SB 287 (2023), Online Pornography Viewing Age Requirements, as amended by SB 73 (2026), Online Age Verification Amendments

In force

Utah Code Ann. sections 78B-3-1001 to 78B-3-1008 (Title 78B, ch. 3, pt. 10), as amended by 2026 Utah Laws (S.B. 73)

Effective 2023-05-03 · Applies to private

Makes a commercial entity that publishes material harmful to minors on a website where more than one third of total material is harmful to minors civilly liable if it fails to verify that Utah visitors are 18 or older using a digitized identification card, an independent third party age verification service, or a commercially reasonable method relying on transactional data. SB 73 (2026) added Division of Consumer Protection enforcement effective May 6, 2026, a rule treating a user as accessing the site from Utah even through a VPN, and a 2 percent excise tax on covered content revenue effective October 1, 2026 that funds youth mental health programs and enforcement.

Age threshold18
Verification methodsdigital id, third party service, transactional data
Enforcement bodyOriginally private civil liability only; since SB 73 (2026), also the Utah Division of Consumer Protection (Department of Commerce) with investigation authority, administrative fines, and civil penalties.
Private suitsyes

Litigation: Free Speech Coalition, Inc. v. Anderson, No. 23-4104 (10th Cir. 2024) (challenge to the original 2023 law); Aylo Freesites Ltd. v. Utah Division of Consumer Protection, No. 2:26-cv-00340 (D. Utah) (challenge to the 2026 amendment) (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; U.S. District Court for the District of Utah). The original 2023 law's challenge was dismissed on Eleventh Amendment immunity grounds because the law relied on private enforcement, affirmed by the Tenth Circuit on October 1, 2024. Aylo's challenge to the 2026 VPN and excise tax provisions, filed April 22, 2026, is pending, and the state agreed to delay enforcement of the VPN liability provision until September 3, 2026 while the case proceeds.

Source: Utah Code Ann. sections 78B-3-1001 to 78B-3-1008 (Title 78B, ch. 3, pt. 10), as amended by 2026 Utah Laws (S.B. 73)

SB 142 (2025), App Store Accountability Act, as amended by HB 498 (2026), App Store Accountability Act Amendments

Enacted, not yet in force

Utah Code Ann. Title 13, ch. 76

Effective 2027-05-06 · Applies to private

Requires app store providers to verify a user's age category, link a minor's account to a parent account, and obtain parental consent before a minor can download or purchase an app, including preinstalled apps. The original Act was signed March 26, 2025 with a May 6, 2026 compliance deadline. A 2026 amendment (HB 498, signed March 18, 2026) removed Attorney General enforcement, limited enforcement to a private right of action with damages up to $1,000 per violation, extended coverage to preinstalled apps, and delayed the compliance deadline one year to May 6, 2027.

Age threshold18
Verification methodsdevice signal, parental consent
PenaltiesUp to $1,000 per violation in a private civil action; no Attorney General civil penalty since the 2026 amendment.
Enforcement bodyPrivate right of action only, brought by an injured minor or a parent or guardian, since HB 498 removed Attorney General enforcement.
Private suitsyes

Litigation: Computer & Communications Industry Association v. Brown (D. Utah) (U.S. District Court for the District of Utah). Filed February 5, 2026 challenging the original Act on First Amendment grounds. Voluntarily dismissed on April 21, 2026 after HB 498 removed Attorney General enforcement, which the plaintiff said mooted its standing to sue.

Source: Utah Code Ann. Title 13, ch. 76

SB 194 (2024), Utah Minor Protection in Social Media Act, and HB 464 (2024), Social Media Amendments

Enjoined

Utah Code Ann. sections 13-71-101 to 13-71-401

Effective 2024-10-01 · Applies to private

Would require social media companies to implement an age assurance system for Utah account holders, apply default protections for known minors, and let verified parents supervise a minor's account. HB 464 additionally repealed Utah's original 2023 Social Media Regulation Act and created a private right of action for a minor's mental health harms tied to a platform's algorithmically curated feed.

Age threshold18
Enforcement bodyUtah Division of Consumer Protection
Private suitsyes

Litigation: NetChoice, LLC v. Reyes, No. 2:23-cv-00911 (D. Utah); appeal No. 24-4100 (10th Cir.) (U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, on appeal to the Tenth Circuit). Preliminarily enjoined on September 10, 2024 on First Amendment grounds. The state's appeal was argued before the Tenth Circuit in November 2025 and remains pending as of this date, and the district court has stayed further proceedings pending that decision.

Source: Utah Code Ann. sections 13-71-101 to 13-71-401

SB 152 and HB 311 (2023), Utah Social Media Regulation Act

Repealed

Utah Code Ann. former Title 13, ch. 63 (repealed 2024)

Applies to private

First in the nation social media age verification law, signed March 2023. Would have required social media companies to verify the age of all Utah account holders, obtain parental consent for minors, impose a default curfew on minor accounts, and give parents access to minor accounts. Its effective date was postponed from March 1, 2024 to October 1, 2024, and the legislature repealed and replaced it in March 2024 with SB 194 and HB 464 before it was enforced.

Age threshold18
Verification methodsparental consent

Litigation: NetChoice, LLC v. Reyes, No. 2:23-cv-00911 (D. Utah) (U.S. District Court for the District of Utah). NetChoice's December 2023 First Amendment challenge to this act prompted the legislature to repeal and replace it in the 2024 session; the litigation continued against the replacement act.

Source: Utah Code Ann. former Title 13, ch. 63 (repealed 2024)