While he first drew widespread national attention for his remarks after the Kirk killing, Cox has been aggressive as governor: Utah is suing Snapchat, has banned phones in classrooms and is now, I’m told by a source close to Cox, crafting legislation to pursue a digital tax a la the sin taxes on tobacco and alcohol. The governor has also been in close contact with mogul Frank McCourt’s group, Project Liberty, which is focused on addressing data ownership. Cox is most consumed with the societal impact of technology, though, whether it’s on children’s brains or adult loneliness. He’s met with a variety of thinkers on the issue, ranging from The Anxious Generation author Jonathan Haidt to Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who last month urged people to “wake the f up” about AI risks.
Mostly, though, it’s personal for Cox, who’s watched the impact of phones on his own children, those of his contemporaries and himself. “We all thought, at least I did, that social media would bring us together, and it has been the exact opposite,” he told me at the National Governors Association conference this past summer. So what can be done?
Run, Spencer, Run.