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Utah leaders react to call for warning label on social media platforms

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Utah leaders react to call for warning label on social media platforms


SALT LAKE CITY — Utah leaders are reacting to a call from the U.S. surgeon general to include a warning label on social media – just like there are on cigarettes.

In an op-ed this week, Dr. Vivek Murthy said warning labels can increase awareness and change behavior.

“It is time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents,” Murthy wrote.

Utah leaders have been outspoken on the issue of social media and its impact on teenagers. Lawmakers have passed laws targeting social media platforms. The state has also sued TikTok, alleging the company lied about its addictive features and put kids at risk.

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The surgeon general’s call for a warning label is only a recommendation. It would require Congress to act. But Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan, one of the Utah lawmakers who has targeted social media companies through legislation, supports it.

“Social media is just as addictive, if not more so, than tobacco—especially for our children,” Teuscher wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “It’s time we confront this digital epidemic with the seriousness it demands.”

Impact of social media on kids

Aimee Winder Newton, a senior adviser to the governor and director of Utah’s Office of Families, told KSL TV state leaders are “really worried about our kids” as research shows the negative impact social media has on their mental health.

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“We need our congressional leaders to step up and to do something, and this is a great idea to do a warning label,” Winder Newton said. “But more needs to be done to help rein in social media companies so that they’re not harming our children.”

According to data shared by the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, nearly all teenagers ages 13-17 reported using a social media platform, and those who spend three hours a day on it have double the risk of mental health problems.

Stefanie Bassett, a Taylorsville mother of six children, said the rules on social media in her house are clear.

“We don’t allow our kids to have social media,” Bassett said. “We’re kind of those grumpy parents, I guess.”

She feels it can be a waste of time and harmful to young minds. She supports the surgeon general’s call for a warning label, saying it would be “helpful.”

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“My teenagers would probably tell you that it’s the worst, and all their friends can do it, and we don’t let them,” said Bassett. “But we assure them and teenagers everywhere that we’re not the only parents who are trying to limit these types of social settings that really are more anti-social than social.”

Connection and support

Some LGBTQ groups have highlighted the benefits of social media for teens to find connection and support.

But Troy Williams, executive director of Equality Utah, told KSL TV it’s a “double-edged sword.”

“While there are some benefits for isolated LGBTQ youth to meet and engage other queer teens,” Williams said, “there are other harms that might outweigh the good.”

Williams cited increased harassment of LGBTQ youth as one of those harms, as found in a 2023 Common Sense Media Survey.

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“Obviously, we need more data on the impact on LGBTQ youth, but virtual relationships are poor substitutes for actual in person connections,” Williams said. “Developing a healthy sense of self-acceptance and mental focus is more difficult with algorithms that can rewire young brains in a myriad of unhealthy ways.”





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Vejmelka, Utah Shutout Golden Knights in Vegas | Utah Mammoth

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Vejmelka, Utah Shutout Golden Knights in Vegas | Utah Mammoth


“I just tried to help the team to get points as much as I can, and it’s a big team win tonight,” Vejmelka shared. “We need every point now. It’s a huge two points.”

After Vegas opened the game with five shots in the first 1:45, Captain Clayton Keller’s goal a minute later shifted momentum to the visitors. 3:18 after his first goal, Keller added his second of the game and doubled the Mammoth’s lead. Keller has found the scoresheet in six of the team’s last seven road games in March (3G, 5A).

“He was ready, his line played really good, especially in the first period,” Tourigny said of Keller. “I’m not saying they fade down after, I’m just saying they were more dynamic in the first. I think it was great to have that offensive production and like I said, three great goals in the first that give us a good lead.”

“Just being around the net,” Keller said of his goals. “Heck of a play by (John Marino) on one, and (a) fortunate bounce. I think when you’re around the net, (the) puck’s going to find you eventually. I think I’ve had a lot of chances lately and just bearing down and it’s good to see them go in.”

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Two minutes after the Captain put Utah up 2-0, Jack McBain scored his eighth of the season and increased the Mammoth’s lead to 3-0. McBain has scored in two straight games and continued to bring a high level of physicality with a team-leading seven hits. Tourigny complimented McBain’s line with Barrett Hayton and Michael Carcone.

“I think that line is playing rock solid,” Tourigny shared. “I think it’s night after night. They grind, they compete, they play both sides of the puck. They make plays with the puck, but they make safe plays as well. Really like what they bring.”

The Mammoth picked up all four possible points on this two-game road trip and will continue to push for a post-season berth. However, it’s a quick turnaround as the team travels back to Salt Lake City to host the Anaheim Ducks Friday night. 

“We know the schedule, so every game matters now,” Vejmelka said. “We have another big challenge tomorrow. We need to reset pretty quick and get ready for tomorrow.”

Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)

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  • This marks Utah’s second straight shutout win at T-Mobile Arena, after earning a 6-0 victory in the second road matchup with Vegas in 2024-25.
  • Mikhail Sergachev has now earned points in four of his last five games (1G, 3A).
  • Keller’s two goals came over the opening 6:05 of regulation, marking the second-fastest two goals by any player from the start of a game in franchise history.



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One more bad day and the Prop. 4 repeal misses the ballot

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One more bad day and the Prop. 4 repeal misses the ballot


Utah’s Prop. 4 repeal is hanging by a thread. A steady drip of signature removals has the Republican-led effort to undo the state’s voter-approved anti-gerrymandering law on the edge of missing November’s ballot.

Utahns for Representative Government (UFRG) wants voters to repeal Prop. 4, the 2018 ballot initiative that created an independent redistricting commission and outlawed partisan gerrymandering. To qualify the repeal for the ballot, organizers had to collect signatures equal to 8% of active voters statewide and also reach that 8% target in 26 of Utah’s 29 Senate districts.

Utah also lets voters who signed a petition remove their signature within a specified window. Opponents of the repeal effort have been taking advantage of that window, contacting signers and urging them to rescind their signatures.

As of Thursday morning, updated totals show another 118 signatures removed in Senate District 15, shrinking the cushion to a paper-thin 114 above the threshold. One more day like this, and SD15 fails, taking the repeal’s ballot hopes with it.

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Other districts are also eroding, but not quite as rapidly:

  • SD12: 460 surplus signatures (12 removals today)
  • SD17: 577 surplus signatures (33 removals today)
  • SD10: 590 surplus signatures (6 removals today)
  • SD8: 652 surplus signatures (8 removals today)

In 2018, the Count My Vote initiative, which sought to shift Utah’s elections from the caucus/convention system for nominating candidates to a direct primary election, initially submitted more than 132,000 signatures—enough to qualify the measure for the ballot. The initiative was knocked off the ballot after opponents peeled off just enough names in two Senate districts. The Utah Supreme Court later upheld the state’s removal process.

Voters have 45 days from when their name is posted online to pull their signature off a petition. In SD15 alone, nearly 3,400 names are still within that window—about 29 times the size of the district’s current 114-signature surplus.

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Black Utah license plates will soon double in price

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Black Utah license plates will soon double in price


Soon, there will be a new price for those trendy black license plates.

The price is increasing from $25 to $50 thanks to a new bill.

MORE | Gov. Cox signs 60 more bills of 2026 Leislative Session into law

Previously, when you would buy a plate, some of that money went to the Utah State Historical Society. Now, it’s going into three different funds.

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  • $5.50 into the Cultural and Community Engagement Foundation Fund
  • $23 into the Transportation Investment Fund of 2005
  • $21.50 into the Olympic and Paralympic Venues Grant Fund

There’s a reason why the plates are so popular.

“Looks cooler,” Carson Mac said.

Mac already has one and is getting a second one for his other car.

“Nobody else had them, and Utah’s were a little colorful, so I was like ‘eh nah,’” he said. “As soon as the black ones came out, I was like ‘yeah, I’m going to get that.’”

The plates came out in May 2023 and have been $25 since then, but the new bill changes that starting in January 2027.

“Why are they charging more for something that costs the exact same?” Mac asked. “If it’s something for Olympic venues, where’s our taxes going?”

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Senator Chris Wilson sponsored the bill and wasn’t available for an interview.

However, Senate spokesperson Aundrea Peterson sent 2News the following statement:

“Utah is known for consistently delivering tax relief to citizens and families while planning for long-term growth. With growing transportation demands, a strong arts community and the 2034 Olympics on the horizon, we are making responsible investments in the foundation our state depends on. The black license plate is a voluntary user-based option that supports priorities without raising taxes. It’s a practical approach that keeps Utah moving forward.”

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