- Government officials from Utah and Australia shared a global commitment to protect kids from digital danger.
- Recent Utah trade mission to Australia prompted unexpected collaboration on protecting youth from social media risks.
- Several Utah officials — including Gov. Spencer Cox — support “bell-to-bell” cell phone restrictions in K-12 schools.
Utah
Utah and Australian lawmakers find unexpected common ground
SYDNEY, Australia — At first glance, a team of visiting Utah lawmakers and their Australian hosts would not appear to share much in common.
They have different forms of government — one, a republic; the other, a constitutional monarchy. Different continents. Different hemispheres. And vastly different time zones.
But the two geographically distant groups discovered they share a global concern: They are fiercely concerned about kids and digital safety.
And both groups are proponents of enhanced “bell-to-bell” cellphone use rules in schools.
Last week, a team of Utah Republican lawmakers were in Sydney as part of a broad trade mission to Australia and New Zealand organized by World Trade Center Utah.
The intent of the trade mission was to foster shared business, innovation and educational opportunities between the Beehive State and the Oceania nations.
The lawmakers participating in the trade mission networked with local representatives from mining, aerospace, tech and other industries to develop business opportunities in Utah.
But, unexpectedly, conversations between Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and the Utah lawmakers with several Australian government officials also focused on protecting kids online.
The Utahns quickly discovered that their Down Under hosts share their concern for digital safety for youth.
“One of the things that Australia has done very well is tackle the problem of social media,” Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, told the Deseret News.
“We looked at what they’ve done, and then compared notes to what Utah’s done. We’ve all stepped forward in a big way to push back on social media.”
Cox and Adams were joined in the digital safety discussions by Sens. Kirk Cullimore, R-Sandy, Chris Wilson, R-Logan, and Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton, and Reps. Karen Peterson, R-Clinton, and Stephen Whyte, R-Mapleton.
The Australian officials included the Hon. Greg Piper, the Hon. Ben Franklin and the Hon. Anika Wells.
“This is a critical time in our history,” said Adams. “Social media is having a measurable impact on youth mental health. Utah and Australia may be oceans apart, but our values are aligned. We are standing up for kids and ensuring technology serves our children and our communities, not the other way around.”
Utah: Leading out with social media safety
The Beehive State’s been at the forefront of social media initiatives to protect kids from digital exploitation.
The Utah Social Media Regulation Act, for example, keeps minors from using social media at restricted hours. It also requires Utah minors to obtain parental consent to have social media accounts and gives parents the ability to see all posts and messages on their children’s accounts.
The law also prevents social media companies from collecting minors’ data and targeting minors’ accounts for advertising.
Cox has emphasized the uniqueness of Utah’s digital safety initiatives.
“These are first of their kind bills in the United States,” he said in 2023. “And that’s huge that Utah is leading out on this effort. We have lots of states that are interested and I know we’re all having conversations with other governors, other legislators and other states. I suspect that you will see lots of bills like these moving forward.”
Utah also requires social media companies to enable maximum default privacy settings on Utah children’s accounts and to verify the ages of their users and provide supervisory tools for a parent or guardian.
Meanwhile, the Utah Legislature has funded a campaign to educate parents and teens about the potential dangers of social media at SocialHarms.utah.gov.
Australia’s efforts to protect kids from digital danger
Australia, meanwhile, has restricted access to social media for those under 16.
During last week’s trade mission, Utah and Australia officials talked about developing shared principles and “a framework that promotes responsible innovation, holds social media platforms accountable and strengthens protections for minors amid the growing challenges of the digital world,” according to a Utah Senate communications report.
The joint discussions, the report added, reflect shared commitments to addressing the harms of social media and excessive mobile phone use among K–12 students.
“Social media giants cannot put profits over kids’ safety,” said Cullimore. “These platforms must be accountable for manipulative, harmful design and protect user data.
Safeguarding minors is a global challenge that demands a unified approach.
“Utah has led with policies on age verification and limits on addictive design features. Australia’s approach serves as a model, and by learning from one another, we can accelerate meaningful progress, ensuring young people are empowered, not endangered, by the digital world.”
The Utah and Australian lawmakers and leaders identified several key areas of collaboration:
- Responsible mobile phone use in schools to reduce distractions and improve learning outcomes.
- Accountability for social media companies through stronger age verification, privacy and data protection for minors.
- Support for ethical education technology that prioritizes well-being.
- Public awareness campaigns promoting healthy digital habits for youth and families.
“Parents everywhere are asking for help,” said Peterson. “When we set guardrails, like limiting devices in schools and holding platforms accountable, we empower children to focus, learn and thrive. Partnering globally helps all of us do better for our kids.”
The Senate report noted that 57% of teen girls in the United States say they feel persistently sad or hopeless. Meanwhile 88% of Utah parents believe social media negatively impacts children and youth.
“The data is clear, social media is harming our kids,” said Wilson. “Protecting children isn’t just a priority; it’s our responsibility. We are not just changing laws, we are shaping a generation, uniting communities and nations around a shared mission to help children grow up healthier, stronger and more connected to what truly matters.”
Added Whyte: “Our goal is to ensure every child, everywhere, can learn, create and connect safely and confidently. Utah’s actions aim to restore balance and help families reclaim control over their digital lives.”
Adams noted that his discussions with his Australian hosts was a reminder that keeping kids safe in the digital realm is a global, nonpartisan concern and responsibility.
“It’s about concerned parents and people who love their kids — and are trying to help them get through life…Social media has done a lot of great things, but we need to protect our kids.”
Is a more aggressive policy prohibiting cellphones in Utah schools in the works?
Cox has been a vocal proponent for restricting cellphones in Utah’s K-12 public school “from bell to bell.”
His beliefs are echoed Down Under
All six states in Australia have reportedly enacted bans on cellphones during school hours, requiring phones to be switched off and “Away for the day.”
The results, reported Wilson, have been positive. Other nations have reached out to Australia in hopes of implementing their own cellphone policies in school
Similar “bell-to-bell” cellphone restrictions at Utah schools may be in the future.
Earlier this year, Utah lawmakers passed the so-called “No cellphones in K-12 schools” bill, prohibiting students in the state’s public schools from using their phones when they are in class.
The new law includes a local caveat — individual schools or districts can opt for a different policy.
Senate Bill 178 is now the state’s “default” practice. Previously, K-12 students were allowed to use cellphones whenever or wherever they wanted unless their district had their own policy in place.
But Sandall believes Utah kids would be well-served by having an enhanced “bell-to-bell” cellphone prohibition that goes beyond simply restricting devices during class time.
“We might need to look at doing that — and having our kids get to school and interacting with each other,” he said.
Some argue a child needs a cellphone in school in case of emergencies.
But Sandall counters that for generations, emergencies at Utah schools were effectively handled by school leaders.
“I think we can go back to that and feel comfortable that we can do that.”
Peterson believes Utah parents are becoming increasingly aware and supportive of social media and phone policies designed to benefit and protect their children.
“The No. 1 thing I hear from parents right now related to schools is how much time they’re spending on a device — whether it’s their own device or it’s a device at the school,” she said.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah athletics is making a notable change to the Huntsman Center gameday setup, but the move is about more than where the team sits.
The Runnin’ Utes are moving the team bench from the east side of the Jon M. Huntsman Center to the west side, returning the bench to the side it occupied during the Rick Majerus era. The change will also move the MUSS and band from the west side to the east side.
The shift is part of a larger effort by Utah Athletics to improve the student-section experience, create a more consistent setup inside the Huntsman Center and better connect the arena to the university’s growing College Town Magic initiative.
Enhancing The MUSS And Fan Experience
Nowlin said the primary motivation behind the change is improving the MUSS and the overall fan experience.
“The reason we’re doing this is we want to enhance the MUSS,” Utah’s Deputy Athletics Director & Chief Revenue Officer, Patrick Nowlin said. “As an ongoing effort, we’ve been working on for the past two years, how do we enhance the fan experience?”
One issue Utah identified was that the MUSS had been located in different areas for different events. Moving the student section and band to the east side gives the department a more consistent location to build around.
“We wanted to create a better fan experience,” Nowlin said. “We wanted to be able to have one spot that we can build on, which means we can brand. We can enhance everything about it.”
The move also ties directly into College Town Magic. Nowlin said the area around the Huntsman Center will include more than 2,900 total beds, including more than 1,400 new beds, giving students a direct path from nearby housing to the student-section entrance.
“There’s over 2,900 new beds that are right there, which will be right at the branded entrance, right where the student section is,” Nowlin said. “They don’t have to go far at all. So it’s just a walk straight down from the dorm, right in the door.”
And according to Utah’s Patrick Nowlin, the move is not limited to men’s basketball.
“It’s not just men’s basketball. It’s all Huntsman Center events,” Nowlin said.
A Nod To Utah Basketball History
While the move is primarily about fan experience, there is also a clear basketball-history component.
The west-side bench location is where Utah sat during the Majerus era, when the Runnin’ Utes were one of the top programs in the country and the Huntsman Center had a different level of edge. Alex Jensen was part of that era as a player, and now, as Utah’s head coach, the move reconnects the current program with one of its most successful periods.
Nowlin said the historical connection was part of the conversation, even if it was not solely Jensen’s decision.
“Yeah, it’s a nod to history,” Nowlin said. “I think Alex, him being here, he’s a steward of the program. There’s a lot of history to having it on that side.”
Still, Nowlin made clear the change was not simply pushed through by Jensen.
“It wasn’t a push from him,” Nowlin said. “It was a concerted effort from everybody to where, how do we create an area that the MUSS can have, but also how do we lean into our history, but still move forward in a way that we can honor that, but create an unbelievable environment.”
That is the heart of the move. Utah is trying to bring back a piece of its basketball identity while also reworking the building for the future.
How Fans Will Be Impacted
The change will affect some season-ticket holders, donors and fans seated near the current bench, MUSS and band areas, but Utah tried to limit the disruption.
Nowlin said the department spent months working through the seating impact and expects fewer than 200 accounts to be directly affected. Those accounts are in sections T, U and V.
“This wasn’t something that just came about,” Nowlin said. “We’ve been working on this for a few months now, and we wanted to find a way that we could minimize the accounts that were directly impacted, but still create the fan experience change we were after.”
Utah’s plan is to work individually with affected fans and mirror their seat location as closely as possible on the other end of the court.
“If you’re on one end and now you’re going on the other end, we will work with you to get you in the seat that is similar to where you were and allow you to have the same experience you’ve had, just on the other end of the court,” Nowlin said.
Utah will also hold a virtual seat-selection process from July 7-17, allowing fans who want to move to choose from available options.
“We’re going to take care of everybody, but we’re also going to allow people the choice and the freedom to be able to make the changes they want to make,” Nowlin said. “We want to create every opportunity we can to give our fans opportunities to choose their own experience.”
Not Part Of The Huntsman Renovation
The bench and MUSS move is not directly tied to the larger Huntsman Center renovation discussions. Nowlin said the change is instead connected to College Town Magic and Utah’s effort to improve the student and fan experience inside the building.
“It does not have to do with the renovation, but it does have to do with College Town Magic,” Nowlin said.
The move could create some new seating and premium opportunities, particularly around courtside and floor seating. Nowlin said Utah is still evaluating those possibilities.
“By doing this, this will create additional opportunities for us on courtside and floor,” Nowlin said. “We’re also looking to how do we enhance our premium experience across the board. So this is a step in a process that will continue.”
The Bottom Line
Utah’s bench move is not just a nostalgic callback to the Rick Majerus era, and it is not just a seating chart adjustment. It is part of a broader effort to reshape the Huntsman Center experience.
The team bench is moving back to the west side, where Utah sat during some of the program’s most successful years. The MUSS and band are moving to the east side, where Utah believes it can build a stronger, more consistent student-section identity tied to College Town Magic.
For Utah Athletics, it is another step toward rethinking how the Huntsman Center looks, sounds and feels on game day. For Jensen, the move reconnects the program to its winning past.
The symbolism will matter to longtime Utah basketball fans. The logistics will matter to students, band members and season-ticket holders. But the larger goal is simple: make the building feel more intentional, more connected and more like home again.
Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.
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SALT LAKE CITY – The San Juan County assessor has resigned partway through his second term, following a recommendation that he be removed from office.
Rick Meyer’s resignation became effective on Monday, according to San Juan County Commissioner Lori Maughan. A copy of Meyer’s resignation letter was not immediately available.
This comes after the Utah State Tax Commission determined that Meyer had failed to follow the law and was “unfit to perform his duties.” In a letter last week to San Juan County commissioners, the tax commission recommended “the immediate removal of the San Juan County assessor from office to protect the public interest and restore the integrity of the property tax system in San Juan County.”
Among other things, Meyer was accused of failing to tax agricultural buildings, misclassifying property, and giving property tax exemptions to certain parcels, including vacant land, when he shouldn’t have.
The recommendation to remove Meyer from office was the first under a recent state law giving the Utah State Tax Commission more power to take corrective action against county assessors who aren’t doing their jobs properly. Assessors play a major role in the property tax process by determining the value of property throughout their counties.
Yet, it was unclear whether the San Juan County Commission could have actually removed Meyer from office had he not stepped down.
With Meyer’s resignation, the San Juan County Assessor’s Office has just one employee left. Deputy assessor Nathan Pitts will run the office until the San Juan County Republican Party recommends a replacement and the County Commission appoints one.
“It’s me holding down the fort here,” Pitts told KSL on Thursday, noting that he has spoken with the Utah Association of Counties and the state tax commission about plans for this interim period. “Everybody’s on board to assist and try to make it the best as we can, (but) I’ve definitely got my work cut out for me.”
Pitts said he does not plan to run for county assessor to replace his old boss.
“That is not my intention at all,” he said. “I’m quite content as a deputy assessor.”
Meyer was first elected as San Juan County assessor in 2020 and won reelection in 2024. His current term was set to conclude in 2029.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
FLAGSTAFF, AZ (AZFamily) — The Rock Canyon Fire, burning in northern Arizona near the border with Utah, doubled in size overnight to 4,512 acres and was 5% contained.
The fire has caused firefighters to evacuate hikers and campers in the area, and some roads in the Kaibab National Forest are closed.
People in Jacob Lake — less than 20 miles from the Rock Canyon Fire — say the new fire is stirring up anxiety after last year’s devastating fire season. They say they’re confident in firefighters, but after the trauma, they’re still holding their breath.
Memories of last year’s fires
For over 100 years, Jacob Lake Inn has been serving cookies to guests who want to visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon or explore the Kaibab National Forest. Melinda Rich Marshall’s family has owned the inn since 1923.
Last year, they were evacuated during the White Sage Fire that burned close to 60,000 acres, and then the Dragon Bravo Fire, which destroyed nearly 150,000 acres, shut down the North Rim.
Now the Rock Canyon Fire has already burned thousands of acres north of the inn.
“I mean, honestly, our reaction was not again,” Rich Marshall said. “I mean, that’s really what it was.”
Rich Marshall said last year was hard enough, so once they heard about this new fire, it brought back bad memories.
“I’d say we have a little PTSD from it, seeing smoke and smelling smoke and all those things,” she said.
Fire burning in old burn scar
The Rock Canyon Fire was sparked over the weekend by a lightning strike.
Parts of it are burning in the White Sage burn scar. Bureau of Land Management spokesperson Dolores Garcia said old burn scars will usually slow down a new fire, but this time it’s actually fueling the flames.
“In some of those areas, we’re seeing quite a bit of fuels,” Garcia said. “We’re not seeing that the burn scar is helping much, especially with the winds as strong as they’ve been in some days and as dry as it’s been, those fuels are just tender and cured and really flammable.”
She said firefighters are attacking it from the ground and the air, but the high winds are limiting their ability to make water drops.
Hikers and campers were evacuated from the area. Garcia said she knows how stressful this must be to the surrounding communities after last year’s fires.
“We still understand that, it’s still a very fresh wound to many of the people who live up there, who’ve recreated up there for years,” she said. “That’s definitely at the forefront of our minds.”
Rich Marshall said while it’s scary, they have full trust in the firefighters.
“We’re really just grateful to see them and know the work that they are doing,” she said.
Rich Marshall said this is usually their peak season, but they’ve seen a bit of a slowdown even after the North rim reopened. She said people can support them by staying there or even just stopping in and getting some of their famous cookies.
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