Judge blocks Arkansas social media law hours before implementation.

A Judge Temporarily ⁤Pauses Arkansas‍ Law Restricting ​Social Media by Age

A law ⁤in Arkansas that‍ would have arkansas-social-media-law-blocked-by-judge-hours-before-going-into-effect/” title=”Judge blocks Arkansas social media law hours before implementation.”>restricted social media access‍ by age has been temporarily paused by a‍ judge, following a legal challenge from a big tech trade‍ group.

Governor Sarah Huckabee ⁢Sanders (R-AR) ⁤signed ‌the bill into law in​ April, which required ​age verification⁤ before creating new accounts. The law was set ⁣to go into effect on Friday and ‌would⁤ have required users under 18 to have parental permission to join any platform. However, ‌U.S. District ​Judge Timothy ​L. Brooks, an Obama appointee, granted a preliminary injunction to NetChoice, a trade ‍group representing⁤ TikTok, Meta, and⁣ X (formerly known as Twitter), as requested.

Judge Brooks’ Ruling

“Age-gating social ⁣media platforms for adults ‍and ⁣minors does not appear to be an effective ⁢approach when, in ⁣reality, it is the content on particular‍ platforms that is driving⁣ the⁤ state’s‍ true concerns,”

The law would have applied​ to platforms generating over $100 million in revenue annually, but it would not ‍have affected ⁣LinkedIn, Google,⁣ or YouTube.

“We’re​ pleased the court sided with the First Amendment and stopped Arkansas’ unconstitutional law from censoring free speech online and undermining the privacy of Arkansans, their families,‌ and their businesses as our case proceeds,” said Chris Marchese, ⁤Director of the NetChoice Litigation Center.

NetChoice has also filed a lawsuit against ‌California for a similar age verification law.

Despite the ruling, ​Attorney General Tim Griffin⁢ has promised to “continue to vigorously⁤ defend‌ the law and protect⁣ our⁣ children.”

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