Arkansas Social Media Safety Act

No, since the Arkansas Social Media Act is currently on hold because it has been struck down. 

Despite that, other states have activated the same law to limit young people’s access to social media, including Utah, Louisiana, Texas, and California. With the success in other regions, there’s a high possibility that Arkansas will return to considering the law in the near future.

The court blocked the Arkansas Social Media Safety Act due to concerns about its impact on free speech. The law required age verification and parental consent for social media use, affecting users of all ages. The court found this overly restrictive and a violation of constitutional rights.

The Act affects all major social media companies that:

• Allow citizens to create accounts.
• Earn at least $100 million in revenue annually.
• Share ideas, content, or views on public spaces on the internet. 

Under the Act, social media platforms are advised to use a third-party platform for age verification using government-issued IDs (such as driver’s licenses or photo IDs). 

Yes, companies that are media house platforms, gaming platforms, email or direct messaging platforms, e-commerce platforms, cloud storage platforms, career platforms, and organization platforms that derive less than 25% of their revenue from social media are exempt from the Arkansas Social Media Safety Act. 

If companies don’t follow the Arkansas Social Media Safety Act, they could be fined $2,500 each time they break the law. They might also have to pay court costs and lawyer fees. If a minor uses social media without their parent’s permission and something bad happens, the company could have to pay for the costs of the problem and lawyer fees.