Arkansas Legislature Passes Bill Protecting Children From Pornographic Websites

On Wednesday the Arkansas Legislature officially passed a bill that will help protect children from Internet pornography.

S.B. 66 by Sen. Tyler Dees (R – Siloam Springs) and Rep. Mindy McAlindon (R – Centerton) requires pornographic websites to use a government-issued ID or a commercially available age verification method to ensure their users are age 18 or older.

The bill previously passed in the Arkansas Senate, and was slightly amended before passing in the Arkansas House of Representatives.

On Wednesday, the Arkansas Senate voted to concur in the changes the House made.

S.B. 66 now goes to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to be signed into law.

Going forward, this good law will require porn sites to take important steps to prevent minors from accessing pornographic material online.

Websites that violate S.B. 66 could be held liable under the law.

Other states have considered legislation very similar to S.B. 66.

Technology has given children unprecedented access to pornography. Among other things, pornography is believed to contribute to mental health problems.

S.B. 66 will help address this problem in Arkansas.

Family Council is deeply grateful to Sen. Tyler Dees and Rep. Mindy McAlindon for sponsoring S.B. 66 and to the members of the Arkansas General Assembly for overwhelmingly supporting the passage of this good law.

This may be one of the best laws that the Arkansas Legislature enacts this year, because it’s going to help protect children in the state from harmful content online. That’s something to celebrate.