Arkansas House OKs social media age verification requirement
An effort to require parents' OK for Arkansas children to access social media sites is advancing through the state Legislature
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas children would need their parents' OK to access social media sites under a bill Arkansas lawmakers advanced Wednesday, moving the state closer toward becoming the second to enact restrictions that critics say raise privacy and enforcement concerns.
The majority-Republican House approved by an 82-10 vote the restrictions, which have the support of GOP Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The proposal goes back to the Senate, which approved an earlier version of the bill, for one more vote before it can head to Sanders' desk.
“It is a bill designed to create a level of protection for our young people,” Republican Rep. Jon Eubanks, the bill's House sponsor, said before representatives approved the measure without any debate.
The proposal is similar to a first-in-the-nation law that Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed last month. Several other states are considering similar measures, touted by supporters as a way to protect children.
