Arkansas lawmakers advanced a bill that requires parental consent for children under 18 to access social media sites, putting the state closer to becoming the second state in the US to enact such a restriction, according to a report by AP on Wednesday, April 5.
The proposed legislation would mandate age verification and parental consent for users under 18 on social media platforms that generate more than $100 million in annual revenue.
It would also require social media companies to partner with a third-party vendor for age verification.
This picture taken in Moscow on October 5, 2021, shows the US online social media and social networking service Facebook's logo (R), the US instant messaging software Whatsapp's logo (L), and the US social network Instagram's logo (C) on a smartphone screen. - Major social media services, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, were hit by a massive outage on October 4, 2021, tracking sites showed, impacting potentially tens of millions of users.
Arkansas Wants Parental Consent for Social Media Use
The Arkansas House voted 82-10 in favor of the bill, and it now returns to the Senate for a final vote before heading to Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders' desk.
Republican Representative Jon Eubanks sponsored the bill and has the support of Governor Sanders, who announced her endorsement of the bill last month.
The bill's proponents claim that it aims to protect young people from social media's harmful effects. Parental concerns and lawmakers' increasing worries about the impact of social media on youth mental health have driven the push for such restrictions.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox recently signed a similar bill into law, and other states are considering comparable measures to safeguard children from the supposed harmful effects of social media.
However, the proposals have faced opposition as well, with some raising privacy concerns and arguing that age verification requirements are too intrusive.
Read Also: Utah Governor Cox Signs Law to Require Parental Consent for Minors Before Using Social Media
Proponents and Critics
Critics also contend that the legislation could have unintended consequences, particularly for young people already struggling with mental health issues.
The proposed restrictions could limit access to online communities that offer essential resources for education and health while creating opportunities for fraudulent individuals to target consumers' sensitive data.
However, the bill's proponents maintain that such a measure is a crucial step to safeguard younger users from the risks associated with social media despite the rallies of critics.
Governor Sanders emphasized the importance of the legislation, noting that "One ill-advised moment online can mean a lifetime of pain offline. Kids are not prepared for that kind of responsibility, and they're certainly not prepared for the world of dangerous content that big tech companies make readily available."
The bill will take effect in September if Governor Sanders gives the green light, but as of writing, it is still unclear how it would affect children's online conduct or how it will be enforced.
Related Article: US FTC Issues Orders to 8 Social Media, Video Streaming Firms on How They Screen For Misleading Ads
