Arkansas Senate Narrowly Passes Bill Requiring Parental Consent for Social Media Platforms

Legislation, , ,

On Wednesday the Arkansas Senate narrowly passed a bill that would help protect minors in Arkansas from accessing social media sites without parental consent.

S.B. 396, the Social Media Safety Act, by Sen. Tyler Dees (R – Siloam Springs) and Rep. Jon Eubanks (R – Paris) says that social media companies must use age verification to ensure minors do not access social media platforms without parental consent.

The bill contains protections for user privacy. A social media company that violated the law could be held liable.

More and more, the evidence shows that modern social media platforms simply are not a place for children — at least, not without parental supervision.

In February the American Psychological Association’s Chief Science Officer told the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee that social media use heightens the risk for negative influences among adolescents, and that young people are accessing social media sites that promote eating disorders and other harmful behavior.

In December, news outlets reported how social media giant TikTok’s algorithm was suggesting videos that promoted self-harm and eating disorders to teenagers.

Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt has published an analysis determining that social media is a major cause of mental illness in girls.

And a recent CDC report found 16% of high school students were electronically bullied in 2021 through texting, Instagram, Facebook, or other social media platforms.

Legislation like S.B. 396 would help parents and social media companies protect children from harmful content online.

The bill now goes to the entire Arkansas House of Representatives for consideration.

The Following Senators Voted For S.B. 396

  1. J. Boyd
  2. Caldwell
  3. A. Clark
  4. B. Davis
  5. Dees
  6. Gilmore
  7. K. Hammer
  8. B. Johnson
  9. M. Johnson
  10. M. McKee
  11. J. Payton
  12. C. Penzo
  13. J. Petty
  14. Rice
  15. Stone
  16. G. Stubblefield
  17. D. Sullivan
  18. D. Wallace

The Following Senator Voted Against S.B. 396

  1. S. Flowers

The Following Senators Voted “Present”

  1. J. Bryant
  2. L. Chesterfield
  3. Crowell
  4. J. Dismang
  5. J. Dotson
  6. Flippo
  7. Hill
  8. G. Leding
  9. F. Love
  10. R. Murdock
  11. C. Tucker

The Following Senators Did Not Vote

  1. J. English
  2. Hester
  3. Hickey
  4. Irvin
  5. B. King

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Arkansas Senate Narrowly Passes Bill Allowing Self-Serve Alcohol in Bars

Alcohol,

On Wednesday the Arkansas Senate narrowly passed a bill authorizing alcohol sales at bars and restaurants via self-service vending machines.

S.B. 475 by Sen. Joshua Bryant (R – Rogers) amends Arkansas’ law prohibiting alcohol sales via vending machine.

The bill authorizes self-serve machines that dispense beer, wine, mixed drinks, and distilled spirits for on-premises consumption in bars and restaurants.

S.B. 475 would authorize self-serve bars and taprooms in Arkansas as other states have done.

Under S.B. 475, patrons would be provided with an radio frequency identification device device (RFID) — such as a bracelet with an RFID in it — that they could scan to activate the self-serve machine.

A person would be able to self-serve up to 32 ounces of beer, 12 ounces of wine, ten ounces of mixed liquors, or three ounces of unmixed, distilled spirits before the RFID would require reactivation by an employee at the bar or restaurant.

Among other things, self-serve alcohol consumption at bars and restaurants raises concerns about oversight and about ensuring that patrons aren’t over-served.

S.B. 475 now goes to the Arkansas House of Representatives for consideration.

The Following Senators Voted For S.B. 475

  • J. Boyd
  • J. Bryant
  • B. Davis
  • J. Dismang
  • J. English
  • Flippo
  • Hickey
  • Hill
  • Irvin
  • B. Johnson
  • M. Johnson
  • G. Leding
  • M. McKee
  • R. Murdock
  • J. Payton
  • C. Penzo
  • J. Petty
  • C. Tucker
  • D. Wallace

The Following Senators Voted Against S.B. 475

  • A. Clark
  • Crowell
  • Dees
  • J. Dotson
  • S. Flowers
  • K. Hammer
  • Hester
  • F. Love
  • Rice
  • Stone
  • G. Stubblefield
  • D. Sullivan

The Following Senators Voted “Present”

  • L. Chesterfield
  • Gilmore

The Following Senators Did Not Vote

  • Caldwell
  • B. King

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Senate Committee Passes Bill Keeping Pro-Abortion Groups Out of Public Schools

Abortion, , , ,
Above: Planned Parenthood no longer performs abortions at its facility in Little Rock, but Planned Parenthood does provide abortion referrals.

On Wednesday the Senate Education Committee passed a good bill that would help keep pro-abortion groups out of Arkansas’ public schools.

S.B. 466 by Sen. Jim Dotson (R – Bentonville) and Rep. Sonia Barker (R – Smackover) says that a public school or open-enrollment public charter school shall not knowingly enter into any type of transaction with an individual or entity that offers or provides abortion referrals.

Arkansas law already prevents schools from contracting with organizations that perform abortions.

Now that Arkansas generally prohibits abortion except to save the life of the mother, state law needs to clarify that public schools won’t contract with pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood that refer women to abortion facilities out of state.

S.B. 466 is a good bill that will help keep public schools from working with pro-abortion organizations in Arkansas.

The bill now goes to the entire Arkansas Senate for consideration.

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