8th Circuit Gives Arkansas A.G. Greenlight to Appeal Case Protecting Kids Online

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Earlier this month the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals gave Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office a greenlight to continue defending a state law designed to protect children online.

In 2023 the Arkansas Legislature passed the Social Media Safety Act. This good law by Sen. Tyler Dees (R – Siloam Springs) and Rep. Jon Eubanks (R – Paris) requires major social media companies to ensure minors don’t access social media platforms without parental consent. A social media company that violated the law could be held liable.

In response, a group of social media tech giants sued to strike down the Social Media Safety Act as unconstitutional.

In March U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks in Fayetteville issued a final order blocking the State of Arkansas from enforcing the Social Media Safety Act. Among other things, Judge Brooks’ ruling claims that Arkansas’ Social Media Safety Act is unconstitutionally broad and vague.

However, the A.G.’s team has appealed that decision. A panel of judges at the Eighth Circuit have now asked Attorney General Griffin to submit a brief in the case by November 3.

A growing body of evidence shows that — by design — social media platforms are not appropriate for children.

TikTok has been accused of serving kids a steady “diet of darkness” online and struggling to protect private user data from entities in China, such as the Chinese Communist Party.

The Arkansas Attorney General’s Office has filed documents in other court cases alleging that platforms like Facebook and Instagram are built around algorithms intentionally designed “to exploit human psychology and foster addiction to maximize users’ screen time,” and that this exploitation is especially true of young users with developing brains.

Social media platforms are more than just websites or phone apps. These are multibillion dollar corporations, and the adults who own and profit from them have a responsibility to protect children on their platforms. They should not be able to register children as users and let those children post photos and videos on their platforms without parental consent.

Family Council is not aware of any attorney general in America who is doing more to hold social media giants accountable and protect children online than Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin. We appreciate his willingness to appeal to the Eighth Circuit, and we are confident our federal courts ultimately will let Arkansas protect children on social media.

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

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Arkansas A.G. Fighting to Shield Kids Online

Social Media, ,

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office recently filed documents with the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in a case over a state law designed to protect children online.

In 2023 the Arkansas Legislature passed the Social Media Safety Act. This good law by Sen. Tyler Dees (R – Siloam Springs) and Rep. Jon Eubanks (R – Paris) requires major social media companies to ensure minors don’t access social media platforms without parental consent. A social media company that violated the law could be held liable.

In response, tech giants — such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok — asked a federal court to strike down the Social Media Safety Act as unconstitutional.

In March U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks in Fayetteville issued a final order blocking the State of Arkansas from enforcing the Social Media Safety Act. Among other things, Judge Brooks’ ruling claims that Arkansas’ Social Media Safety Act is unconstitutionally broad and vague.

However, the A.G.’s team indicated it would appeal Judge Brooks’ decision. On September 3, the attorney general’s office filed paperwork with the higher court at the Eighth Circuit regarding that appeal.

A growing body of evidence shows that — by design — social media platforms are not appropriate for children.

TikTok has been accused of serving kids a steady “diet of darkness” online and struggling to protect private user data from entities in China, such as the Chinese Communist Party.

The Arkansas Attorney General’s Office has filed documents in other court cases alleging that platforms like Facebook and Instagram are built around algorithms intentionally designed “to exploit human psychology and foster addiction to maximize users’ screen time,” and that this exploitation is especially true of young users with developing brains.

Social media platforms are a multibillion dollar industry. The adults who own and profit from these companies have a responsibility to protect children on their platforms — and they should not be able to register children as users and let those children post photos and videos on their platforms without parental consent.

Family Council is not aware of any attorney general in America who is doing more to hold social media giants accountable and protect children online than Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin. We appreciate his willingness to appeal to the Eighth Circuit, and we are confident our federal courts ultimately will let Arkansas protect children on social media.

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

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Arkansas A.G. to Host Free Social Media Summit in October

Social Media, ,

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin will host a free social media summit in October.

In an announcement on Facebook, Attorney General Griffin said the summit will look at social media addiction as well as dangers from scams and foreign adversaries such as China.

Around the country, state legislators have recognized that social media can be hazardous for teens. These platforms rely on specialized algorithms to suggest content to users. As users look at social media content, the algorithms make a point to recommend similar material in the future — a process sometimes called “rabbit holing.”

If users view inappropriate or harmful material on social media, the algorithm will suggest similar content in the future. As a result, social media platforms like TikTok often serve teens what some have called a steady “diet of darkness.”

In 2023 the Arkansas Attorney General’s office filed two lawsuits against Chinese-based company ByteDance — the corporation that owns TikTok — and one lawsuit against Meta — the company that owns Facebook and Instagram.

The lawsuits highlight how the platforms jeopardize users’ personal data and “exploit human psychology and foster addiction to maximize users’ screen time.”

As we have said for years, social media platforms are more than just websites or phone apps. These are multimillion-dollar businesses. The people who own and profit from these companies have a responsibility to protect their users.

Family Council is not aware of any attorney general in America who is doing more to hold social media giants accountable than Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin. Registration details about the A.G.’s social media summit are available here.

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

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