Rates of
loneliness, anxiety and depression have shot up across America, and social media is “absolutely” one of the causes, Gov. Spencer Cox (R-Utah) says.

“I think it’s obvious to anyone who spends any time on social media or has kids — I have four kids. I’ve seen what’s happened to them as they’ve spent time on social media, and their friends, that this is absolutely causing these terrible increases, these hockey stick-like increases that we are seeing in anxiety, depression, and self-harm amongst our youth,” Cox, the chair of National Governors Association, said during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” that aired Sunday.

Legislation that Utah enacted earlier this year that would require social media users to verify their age in order to access their accounts — putting restrictions on when and how users under 18 could access social media sites — is currently
facing legal challenges from a trade group that represents Meta, TikTok and X. First Amendment advocates have also argued the law, which is to go into effect in 2024, infringes on free speech rights.