Summary (tl;dr)

Utah's new age verification law, set to take effect on May 6, 2026, is causing a stir because it holds websites liable for verifying the age of users physically in the state, even if they employ Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to mask their location. This makes Utah the first U.S. state to directly address VPN use in age verification legislation.

Essential Background

Utah has been at the forefront of implementing age verification for online content. In March 2023, the state enacted the Social Media Regulation Act (SB 152 and HB 311), which aimed to restrict minors' access to social media, requiring age verification and parental consent. However, this initial legislation faced legal challenges and delays. Separately, Utah declared accessing "harmful to minors" material online a public health crisis in 2016, leading to increased legislative efforts around age verification, particularly for adult-oriented content sites.

The Full Story

The current keywords are trending due to Utah's "Online Age Verification Amendments," specifically Senate Bill 73 (SB 73), which was signed into law by Governor Spencer Cox on March 19, 2026, and becomes effective on May 6, 2026. This law mandates that commercial websites hosting "material harmful to minors" must implement strict age checks for anyone accessing their content from within Utah. Uniquely, SB 73 states that websites remain liable for age verification even if a user attempts to bypass checks using a VPN or proxy server to disguise their geographic location. Furthermore, the law prohibits these websites from providing instructions or encouraging the use of VPNs to circumvent the age gates.

Why It Matters

This law is significant because it's the first in the U.S. to directly target VPN usage in the context of age verification, a move digital rights organizations and tech companies criticize as technically unfeasible and a threat to online privacy. Critics argue that it creates an "unresolvable compliance paradox" and a "liability trap" for websites, as accurately detecting a user's true location through a VPN is unreliable. This could force platforms to either ban all known VPN IPs or implement global age verification for all users, regardless of their location, leading to invasive identity checks. Concerns have also been raised about potential First Amendment infringements by prohibiting websites from sharing information about VPNs, a lawful privacy tool. Experts predict that instead of deterring access, the law may only push determined users towards less transparent or non-commercial proxy services.

Geographic Location

• Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, United States (Governor Spencer Cox signed Senate Bill 73 into law)