Utah
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 Utah's first in the nation 2023 Social Media Regulation Act was repealed and replaced in 2024 by the Utah Minor Protection in Social Media Act plus a companion private right of action act, which remain preliminarily enjoined pending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.
Subnational jurisdiction. Reviewed 2026-07-15.
SB 287 (2023), Online Pornography Viewing Age Requirements, as amended by SB 73 (2026), Online Age Verification Amendments
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.
- Citation
- 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)
- Status
- In force
- Effective date
- 2023-05-03
- Applies to
- Private sector
- Age threshold
- 18
- Verification methods
- digital id, third party service, transactional data
- Covered services
- Commercial entities for which a substantial portion (more than one third) of website content is pornography or other material harmful to minors.
- Enforcement body
- Originally 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 right of action
- yes
- 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
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.
- Citation
- Utah Code Ann. Title 13, ch. 76
- Status
- Enacted, not yet in force
- Effective date
- 2027-05-06
- Applies to
- Private sector
- Age threshold
- 18
- Verification methods
- device signal, parental consent
- Covered services
- App store providers and software application developers offering apps in Utah, including preinstalled apps.
- Penalties
- Up to $1,000 per violation in a private civil action; no Attorney General civil penalty since the 2026 amendment.
- Enforcement body
- Private right of action only, brought by an injured minor or a parent or guardian, since HB 498 removed Attorney General enforcement.
- Private right of action
- yes
- 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
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.
- Citation
- Utah Code Ann. sections 13-71-101 to 13-71-401
- Status
- Enjoined
- Effective date
- 2024-10-01
- Applies to
- Private sector
- Age threshold
- 18
- Covered services
- Social media companies as statutorily defined operating in Utah.
- Enforcement body
- Utah Division of Consumer Protection
- Private right of action
- yes
- 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
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.
- Citation
- Utah Code Ann. former Title 13, ch. 63 (repealed 2024)
- Status
- Repealed
- Effective date
- Not yet effective
- Applies to
- Private sector
- Age threshold
- 18
- Verification methods
- parental consent
- Covered services
- Social media companies as statutorily defined operating in Utah.
- 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)
Reviewed 2026-07-15. Confidence: high. Fast-moving area, verify before relying. Not legal advice.