{"id":2019316,"date":"2023-09-01T12:43:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T16:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arkansas-social-media-parental-consent-law-is-blocked-at-the-last-minute\/"},"modified":"2023-09-01T12:46:06","modified_gmt":"2023-09-01T16:46:06","slug":"arkansas-social-media-parental-consent-law-is-blocked-at-the-last-minute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arkansas-social-media-parental-consent-law-is-blocked-at-the-last-minute\/","title":{"rendered":"Arkansas Parental Consent Law for Social Media Blocked Last Minute"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Farkansas-social-media-parental-consent-law-is-blocked-at-the-last-minute%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2019316&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>Just before \u2064it was to go into\u200d effect, a \u2062federal judge temporarily blocked Arkansas legislation that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/game-company-roblox-enabled-girls-sexual-exploitation-lawsuit-claims\/\" title=\"Game company Roblox enabled girl\u2019s sexual exploitation, lawsuit claims\">required parental consent<\/a> for children to open new social media accounts.<\/p>\n<p>District Judge Timothy L. Brooks of \u2064the Western District of \u2064Arkansas granted a preliminary injunction <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.arwd.68680\/gov.uscourts.arwd.68680.44.0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">(pdf)<\/a> on Aug. 31, in response \u2064to\u2064 a motion by Netchoice, a \u200dtrade\u200b group for social media giants, including Meta, TikTok,\u200c and\u2064 X.<\/p>\n<p>The Arkansas\u200b social media age\u200d verification\u200d law was blocked\u2063 just hours before it was set to go into effect on Sept. 1.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\">\n<div class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/utah-becomes-first-state-to-require-parental-consent-for-minors-to-use-social-media-5146481\">Utah Becomes First State to Require Parental Consent \u200cfor Minors to Use Social\u2062 Media<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">3\/24\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/utah-becomes-first-state-to-require-parental-consent-for-minors-to-use-social-media-5146481\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/ohio-proposes-law-mandating-parental-consent-for-children-to-access-online-platforms-5059635\">Ohio Proposes Law Mandating\u200c Parental\u2063 Consent for\u2062 Children to\u2062 Access\u200d Online \u2063Platforms<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">2\/15\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/ohio-proposes-law-mandating-parental-consent-for-children-to-access-online-platforms-5059635\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The state of\u2062 Arkansas\u2063 passed the first such legislation (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arkleg.state.ar.us\/Home\/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FACT689.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pdf<\/a>) in the nation, that required age verification\u2062 from users to create new social\u200d media accounts.<\/p>\n<p>Any user\u200d under 18, would require permission from a parent or \u200dguardian\u2063 for a \u200dnew account, potentially setting \u200ca legal precedent for the First Amendment rights of \u2064minors.<\/p>\n<h2>Social Media Wins an\u2062 Injunction to Halt Consent Law<\/h2>\n<p>NetChoice called for a \u200btemporary injunction earlier this month \u200dafter it sued the state \u200dto prevent its enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>So\u2064 far, there is \u200bno news on when the\u200d trial will\u200d be \u2062held.<\/p>\n<p>Judge Brooks stated in his \u2063opinion that the law was\u200d a burden on the \u2063free speech of minors and adults since it was &#8220;not targeted\u2063 to address the harms it has identified.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The big\u200c tech trade group \u200bsaid the act was\u2062 written so vaguely that its members could suffer irreparable \u2063legal harm\u2062 if it were\u2063 to go into effect.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cWe\u2019re \u2064pleased the court sided \u2064with the First Amendment and stopped\u200b Arkansas\u2019 unconstitutional law \u200cfrom\u200c censoring \u2064free\u200b speech online and undermining the privacy of Arkansans, their families and\u2063 their businesses as our case proceeds,\u201d<\/strong> said Chris Marchese, Director of \u2064the NetChoice Litigation Center, in a press statement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe look forward to seeing\u2062 the law struck down permanently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Civil liberties groups \u2063and pro-Silicon Valley \u2064advocates\u200b said the law raises \u200bprivacy, free speech, and enforceability concerns, and singled out the\u200d major\u200c social media companies.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Legal precedent is\u2063 clear: While parents have authority over their own children,\u2062 it is not the government&#8217;s role to \u2064dictate what parents should desire for their families,&#8221; Holly Dickson, Executive Director of\u200c Arkansas&#8217; ACLU \u200dchapter wrote\u2064 in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Social\u200c media platforms are \u200cvital channels\u200b for the receipt and \u200ddissemination of information and\u2062 individual expression,&#8221;\u200d she said.<\/p>\n<h2>Parent\u2062 Advocates Push \u2063for Age Restrictions on Content<\/h2>\n<p>Supporters of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-over-biden-administration-and-social-media-companies-contact-now-in-limbo\/\" title=\"Lawsuit against Biden administration and social media firms now uncertain.\">social \u2063media law<\/a>\u200d said it would help parents\u200c protect their children from online sexual predators and from the potentially harmful\u2062 effects of\u200b sensitive content.<\/p>\n<p>Arkansas\u2063 state Sen. Tyler Dees, the lead author of \u2063the bill, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2023\/08\/31\/social-media-age-verification-law-blocked-arkansas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told Axios<\/a>: &#8220;I&#8217;m confident \u2063we&#8217;ll be \u2063able to defend this court,&#8221; adding that, &#8220;our kids and their protection\u200d are worth fighting for this.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I am \u200bdisappointed in the ruling, but I will continue to vigorously defend \u200bthe law and protect \u2063our children, an important interest recognized in the federal\u2062 judge&#8217;s order today,&#8221;\u200b Attorney General Tim Griffin\u2063 told Axios.<\/p>\n<p>The state\u2062 legislature\u2064 passed a similar\u200b law (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.arkleg.state.ar.us\/Home\/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FACT612.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pdf<\/a>) requiring websites with adult content to verify a \u2064user&#8217;s age before allowing them to view\u2062 the platforms, which \u2062went into effect on Aug. 1.<\/p>\n<p>The Protection of Minors \u200dfrom Distribution of\u200d Harmful Material\u2064 Act, requires \u200beither a \u2063website or a third-party\u2063 vendor with\u200c sexually explicit content, to verify a user \u2062is 18 or \u2063older, with a digital \u200bimage of their license or identification card when\u200c they try to\u200b access the sites.<\/p>\n<p>Any website or vendor that\u200c failed\u200d to comply\u2063 would\u2062 be held liable if \u2064a minor accessed their content and the ability\u2064 to\u2063 keep user data after access\u2064 is granted is \u200dprohibited.<\/p>\n<p>Pornhub, the largest \u200donline porn provider,\u200b retaliated by blocking access in Arkansas, after it\u200c did the same to\u200d Utah,\u2063 Mississippi, and Virginia after\u200d similar laws went into \u2064effect.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, online\u2062 searches for \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/arkansas-social-media-parental-consent-law-is-blocked-at-the-last-minute\/\" title=\"Arkansas Parental Consent Law for Social Media Blocked Last Minute\">virtual private network services surged<\/a> in Arkansas prior to \u200cthe enforcement of new laws on online\u200c porn, reported Axios.<\/p>\n<p>The Epoch Times has reached out to the Arkansas Attorney General\u2019s office for comment.<\/p>\n<h2>Other States Push Laws Banning Minors From\u200d New Accounts<\/h2>\n<p>Four other states passed<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>media companies. The legislation aimed to protect children&#8217;s privacy online but was halted due to concerns about potential infringement on free speech rights. The judge&#8217;s decision temporarily prevents the law from being enforced until further legal proceedings take place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":327,"featured_media":2019317,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2019316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2019316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/327"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2019316"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2019316\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2019317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2019316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2019316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2019316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}