Arkansas Legislature Passes Bill Protecting Children From Pornographic Websites

Legislation, , ,

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.

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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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Senate Committee Passes Bill to Protect Teachers, Students Who Decline to Use Preferred Pronouns

Legislation,

On Wednesday the Senate Education Committee passed a good bill that helps protect students and teachers who decline to use a person’s preferred pronouns at school.

H.B. 1468 by Rep. Wayne Long (R – Bradford) and Sen. Mark Johnson (R – Little Rock) says that a student or teacher cannot not be penalized for declining to address a person by a pronoun that is inconsistent with the person’s biological sex.

As we have reported before, educators in other states have been fired and suspended for declining to use students’ chosen pronouns.

H.B. 1468 would help prevent that from happening in Arkansas.

The bill now goes to the entire Arkansas Senate for a vote.

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