Utah

Utah could require device manufacturers to add content filters to phones, tablets for kids

Published

2 years ago

February 1, 2024

Utah could require device manufacturers to add content filters to phones, tablets for kids

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SALT LAKE CITY — The state of Utah could require cellphone and tablet manufacturers to enable obscenity filters on devices used by minors, under a proposal that received initial support from a Senate committee on Wednesday.

Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, the sponsor of SB104, told the Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee last week the Utah Legislature approved a similar bill several years ago, which would only have gone into effect if at least five other states adopted the same legislation.

Tired of waiting for action from other states — which have so far declined to enact similar laws — Weiler said he’s ready for the Beehive State to move forward on its own, if need be.

“In the years since, we’ve made ourselves an outlier when it comes to social media and foreign websites,” Weiler said, in reference to the state’s high-profile social media regulations passed last year.

So, why not be an outlier when it comes to blocking pornography and other potentially harmful content on devices used by minors?

“The idea is to provide minors with protection and opportunities that they deserve as children to protect them from developing maybe an addiction to pornography before they’re even adults and allow them time to develop good online habits while they’re still young,” the senator said.

Weiler said many phones made by major manufacturers come with preinstalled software to enable content filtering, but they are deactivated by default and sometimes not easily enabled by parents.

His bill would allow the state attorney general to sue manufacturers who don’t comply with the requirements.

Elder Mervyn B. Arnold, a general authority seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke in favor of the bill during its initial hearing on Jan. 23. Arnold — who joined Weiler as a private citizen to present the bill — praised efforts to keep children from coming across obscene material.

“This state has a fabulous record … for being out in front and protecting our children and grandchildren from these kinds of issues,” he said. “We do have a right to protect our children from obscene material.”

SB104 was supported by several parents and sexual exploitation advocates, but an earlier version of the bill was held in committee last week after a handful of business groups expressed concern that the bill could present liability to businesses beyond just the manufacturers.

Dave Davis, president and chief legal officer for the Utah Retail Merchants Association, asked why lawmakers aren’t waiting for other states before moving forward. The purpose of the earlier bill was to ensure “a critical mass for manufacturers so that Utah wouldn’t be on an island, and you just don’t get devices.”

He also called the criminal penalties “very, very, very heavy-handed,” and said he was concerned about the potential impact to retailers who sell phones. Representatives from mobile carriers AT&T and Verizon said they hoped to address concerns about liability to retail clerks who sell phones to Utahns.

“We’re just opening the box,” said Jodi Hart with AT&T.

Those with concerns all said they’re supportive of keeping pornography out of the hands of minors, as did Dylan Hoffman with TechNet, a national network of technology companies.

“However,” Hoffman said, “we must respectfully oppose this bill on the basis that we don’t believe that there’s a technically feasible way to comply.”

Instead, he said parents can install free or commercial third-party software to block inappropriate content, and raised the possibility that manufacturers could block sales of smartphones and tablets in Utah as a way to avoid liability.

Hoffman on Wednesday said his organization “(agrees) wholeheartedly with the intent of this bill,” but said he believes it may not pass constitutional muster.

Weiler acknowledged during the Jan. 23 hearing that the bill still needed some tweaks, and asked the committee to hold it without taking a vote while he worked to resolve them.

He introduced an amendment to the bill stating that nothing in it creates a cause of legal action against against the retailer of a device. The amendment also states that an adult — other than a parent or legal guardian — who disables a content filter on a minor’s device “for the purpose of disseminating pornography to the minor” can be charged with a class A misdemeanor subject to a fine up to $5,000.

The bill cleared committee unanimously on Wednesday after lawmakers adopted Weiler’s amendments.

The bill would allow the state attorney general to block a company’s action in violation of the law and seek civil penalties up to $5,000 for each violation. The attorney general would also be allowed to seek to strip companies of their license to operate in the state if they are found in violation.

Weiler was the sponsor of a bill last session that required adult websites to verify the ages of users. The law sparked the ire of the pornography industry and PornHub has since blocked access to users in the state.

Industry groups and the Free Speech Coalition challenged the law in court, but their lawsuit was dismissed in August 2023.

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Bridger Beal-Cvetko covers Utah politics, Salt Lake County communities and breaking news for KSL.com. He is a graduate of Utah Valley University.

Will Hardy Highlights Utah Jazz’s Under-the-Radar Standout

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16 hours ago

November 6, 2025

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Will Hardy Highlights Utah Jazz’s Under-the-Radar Standout

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Utah

Changing of the guards: Here’s a look at preliminary election results in southern, northern Utah

Published

1 day ago

November 5, 2025

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Changing of the guards: Here’s a look at preliminary election results in southern, northern Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — Preliminary results from the 2025 general municipal election on Tuesday signal potential leadership changes at the mayoral level in communities throughout southern and northern Utah.

Several incumbent mayors — in St. George and Hurricane in the south and Hyrum and Smithfield in the north — look poised to lose their positions to new challengers.

And a handful of cities are likely watching their mayoral elections closely, awaiting the replacement of longtime leaders who aren’t seeking reelection.

Here’s a rundown of some of the notable preliminary results from races in southern and northern Utah, respectively.

Iron County

With Cedar City’s incumbent Mayor Garth Green not seeking reelection, voters appear ready to elect Steve Nelson as the next leader of Cedar City, as he holds a strong lead on Phil E. Schmidt. Preliminary results show Nelson outpacing Schmidt with 60.26% of the votes compared to Schmidt’s 39.74%.

Enoch’s incumbent Mayor Geoffrey Chestnut isn’t seeking reelection this year. Preliminary results point to a tight race between current leader Jim Rushton (50.36%) and Katherine A. Ross (49.64%), with Rushton leading by less than 1%.

Mollie Halterman will serve another term as Parowan mayor, as she ran unopposed this year. Incumbent Rochell Topham (28.12%) and newcomer Lyle Barton (31.96%) are leading the votes for two seats on the City Council.

Washington County

Hurricane’s incumbent Mayor Nanette Billings (32.34%) is trailing Clark Fawcett (67.66%) in Hurricane’s mayoral race. Fawcett worked as the city manager for over 37 years and is a current city council member.

St. George’s incumbent Mayor Michelle Randall, who was elected in 2021, is seeking reelection for a second term and trying to defend her position from newcomer Jimmie B. Hughes. Preliminary results show a change in leadership could be coming, with Hughes (54.85%) holding a lead over Randall (45.15%).

For the first time in nearly two decades, Santa Clara voters will be selecting a new mayor, with incumbent Rick Rosenburg not seeking reelection. Jarett Waite (54.93%) is currently holding a lead over Ben Shakespeare (45.07%). Incumbent Christa Hinton (43.80%) and newcomer Mark W. Hendrickson (35.31%) are in the lead to secure two spots on Santa Clara’s City Council, with Jimi Kestin (20.89%) trailing.

Cache County

In Hyrum, newcomer Steve J. Miller leads incumbent Mayor Stephanie Miller with 66.58%% of the votes to her 33.42%.

Incumbent Logan Mayor Holly Daines is not seeking reelection, having served as Logan’s mayor since 2017. Mark A. Anderson (61.32%) currently leads Alanna Nafziger (38.68%). Anderson has been a City Council member since 2018.

Richmond Mayor Paul Erickson is not seeking reelection this year. Instead, the race is between Amber Ervin (47.03%) and Jeff Young (52.97%) to be the city’s next mayor.

Smithfield’s incumbent Mayor Kris Monson (48.91%) is trailing challenger Aaron Rudie (51.09%).

With Wellsville’s longtime incumbent Mayor Thomas Bailey not seeking reelection, Carl P. Leatham (43.90%) trails Chad Bankhead Lindley (56.10%) in Wellsville’s mayoral race.

Box Elder County

Garland’s incumbent Mayor Linda Bourne (40.70%) is trailing Daniel Nolan Austin (59.30%).

In Tremonton, City Councilman Bret G. Rohde (71.20%) leads incumbent Mayor Lyle Holmgren with 71.20% of the votes to Holmgren’s 28.80% in the mayoral race.

A full list of preliminary results for Utah can be found on the state’s elections website.

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Here are the new and returning elected leaders in Utah County

Published

2 days ago

November 5, 2025

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Here are the new and returning elected leaders in Utah County

OREM — The first wave of results from the 2025 general municipal election is signaling several political shake-ups, as many cities will have new mayors replacing leaders who decided it was time to step down — and in some cases, incumbents who were defeated by their challengers.

Here are the results of some of the biggest races in Utah’s second-most populous county:

Vineyard

In preliminary results Tuesday night, Zack Stratton, an entrepreneur and businessman, had received 58% of the vote toward becoming the city’s next mayor. City Councilwoman Mardi Sifuentes trails Stratton with 41% of the votes.

Julie Fullmer has been the mayor of Vineyard for the last eight years. But she has faced some pushback from adherents of City Councilman Jacob Holdaway, who claims she is deceptive and corrupt. Fullmer, however, has said Holdaway has been combative and slowed progress in the city.

Fullmer previously announced she would not be running for reelection this year, opening the door to significant change in the small city.

Sifuentes has served with Fullmer for several years now, and Stratton is backed by Holdaway. A Stratton win could mean a shift in the dynamic among City Council members as well as other changes within the growing city.

Vineyard residents were also tasked with electing an additional council member after 74% of voters favored Proposition 10 in last year’s election, which adjusted the city’s government structure by adding an additional council position.

In the race for the new seat, Parker McCumber was leading with 21% of the vote Tuesday night, followed by Jacob Wood with 20.6% of the vote and David Lauret with 20.2% in the unofficial results. Current Councilman Brett Clawson was trailing with nearly 14% of the vote, and Utah County administrator Ezra Nair, who is also vying for the role, had 12.8% of the vote.

Orem

In Orem, Mayor David Young is running again. Young ran on the idea of making Orem “Family City USA,” with a strong emphasis on opposition to high-density housing. But his time as the city’s mayor may be coming to an end.

Tuesday night’s preliminary results show Young’s opponent, Karen McCandless, outpacing the incumbent with 52% of the votes to his 47%.

McCandless is CEO of Community Action Services and Food Bank. She previously served on Orem’s City Council from 2001 to 2014.

As mayor, Young has pushed for an Orem-only school, which was ultimately shot down by voters. He also faced some public scrutiny when his son was involved in a million-dollar fraud lawsuit in 2022. That lawsuit was resolved in December 2024 in an out-of-court settlement that the mayor was happy with, according to the mayor’s spokesman.

Three City Council seats are also up for grabs in Orem. Newcomer Quinn Mecham was leading the way in Tuesday’s unofficial results with 17.9% of the votes, followed by Doyle Mortimer (16.9%) and Angela Moulton (16.38%).

Current council members LaNae Millett and David Spencer were both trailing their opponents Tuesday night. Millett had 16.37% of the vote, and Spencer had 15.9%.

Crystal Muhlestein, who serves as the chairwoman for House District 56 for the Utah County Republican Party, is also vying for a seat on the City Council. She had 16.2% of the vote on Tuesday night.

Provo

Mayor Michelle Kaufusi has been leading the city of Provo since 2018. Attempting a third term, she faced off against former Utah Rep. Marsha Judkins.

In a tight race, Kaufusi had 50.6% of the votes Tuesday night, but Judkins wasn’t far behind with 49.3%.

Provo residents are also voting on several seats on the City Council:

In the race for the citywide seat, current Councilwoman Katrice MacKay was up with 61.2% of the vote to Adam Shin’s 38.7%.
Two newcomers are vying for the District 2 seat in an extremely tight race. Early results show Jeff Whitlock ahead, with 50.13% of the vote, and Hannah Petersen right behind with 49.87%. The winner will replace current Councilman George Handley,
In the District 5 race, incumbent Councilwoman Rachel Whipple was outpacing newcomer Sam Blackburn with 67% of the vote to his 32%.

Eagle Mountain

Eagle Mountain is sure to see some change, as current Mayor Tom Westmoreland did not make it past the primary election, despite being endorsed by both Gov. Spencer Cox and former state Rep. Phil Lyman. This outcome may have stemmed from the city considering changing code to allow for a nuclear power plant to be built in Eagle Mountain, which residents vehemently disagreed with.

Council members Melissa Clark and Jared R. Gray faced off for the open position. In another tight race, Gray had 52.55% of the votes to Clark’s 47.45% Tuesday night.

Other elections of note

Wade Menlove is running unopposed to be the first mayor of Spring Lake, a newly incorporated town situated between Payson and Santaquin.

In the race for Spring Lake’s town council, two candidates will be selected to serve four-year terms. David Charles was in the lead with 32% of the vote Tuesday, followed by Joy Benson with 29%.

Two candidates are also being selected to serve two-year terms on the Town Council. Robert Marsh was leading the way with 31% of the votes, with Sharon Bascom with 29% Tuesday night.

In the north end of the county, Lehi will also have a new mayor, as current Mayor Mark Johnson did not run for a third term. Councilwoman Paige Albrecht is vying for the spot to fill his shoes, facing off against newcomer Paul Binns. The race was tight Tuesday night, with Binns in the lead at 52.07% and Albrecht at 47.93%.

In a similar situation, Pleasant Grove Mayor Guy Fugal did not throw his hat in the ring this year. Two council members, Eric Jensen and Cyd Lemone, faced off for the seat. Jensen was in the lead with 57.87% of the votes, with Lemons trailing at 42.13%.

A full list of Utah County results can be found on the state’s election website.

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