Committee Passes Bill to Protect Children From Internet Pornography
On Tuesday the Senate Insurance and Commerce Committee passed a measure that would help protect children in Arkansas from Internet pornography.
S.B. 66 by Sen. Tyler Dees (R – Siloam Springs) and Rep. Mindy McAlindon (R – Centerton) requires pornographic websites to implement an age verification process to protect children from pornography.
The measure is similar to a law Louisiana recently passed.
S.B. 66 requires pornographic websites to verify users are 18 or older using a government-issued ID or another commercially available method.
In practice, this means pornographic websites would rely on IDs like state driver’s licenses or some sort of third-party system to prevent minors from accessing pornographic material online.
Websites that violate S.B. 66 would be held liable under the law.
Technology has given children unprecedented access to pornography. Among other things, pornography is believed to contribute to mental health problems.
S.B. 66 helps address this problem in Arkansas.
The bill now goes to the entire Arkansas Senate for consideration.
