New Arkansas bill to keep minors off social media exempts most social media platforms
The new bill signed in by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders is set to come into effect in September later this year. | Image: Thomas Metthe / Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP
Arkansas is now the second US state to impose minimum age restrictions on social media, with Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signing in a new bill on Wednesday that requires parents and guardians to consent to people under 18 opening a new account. The newly approved SB 396 — otherwise dubbed the Social Media Safety Act — comes into effect in September and aims to protect minors in online spaces.
The new law shares some similarities with Utah’s Social Media Regulation Act, which was signed into law last month. Both require users to be at least 18 years of age to open a new social media account and place responsibility on social media companies to verify the age of new users through personal information and government-issued ID.
