The U.S. state of Utah lawmakers prefer biometric age estimation over verification for children's online content access, despite parental wishes for a more secure method. Utah has passed legislation requiring companies to restrict access to certain online content by minors, known as the Social Media Regulation Act. The state is collecting comments before the legislation's go-live date of February 12. The US government is enforcing a new rule to restrict children under 18 from accessing social media, which has been linked to mental health issues and self-esteem issues. The rule and legislation conflate social media with pornography, although they are not significantly overlapping. Publishers are required to create policies and software to exclude minors and verify the age and identity of all visitors, including guardians. The government estimates that each age verification and parental consent will cost US$0.30. Utah's Attorney General suggested face biometrics for age estimation.