Judge Temporarily Blocks Arkansas Law Requiring Parental Consent for Minors to Get Social Media Accounts

A federal judge in Arkansas has temporarily blocked a law that would require users under the age of 18 to get parental consent to register for social media accounts.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks, granted NetChoice a preliminary injunction against the Social Media Safety Act. NetChoice is the trade group made of X, formerly known as Twitter, Meta, and TikTok.

The law, which was set to take effect on Sept. 1, would have imposed a $2,500 fine per violation for social media companies who knowingly ignored the age verification requirements. It would have also prohibited companies from holding onto users' identifying information after accessing the site.

NetChoice argued that the law is a violation of users' constitutional rights and could impede free speech.

"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," Chris Marchese, director of the NetChoice Litigation Center, said in a statement. "We look forward to seeing the law struck down permanently."

Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed the bill into law in April and was supportive of the measure because of the effect social media can have on the mental health of teen users.

"Big Tech companies put our kids’ lives at risk. They push an addictive product that is shown to increase depression, loneliness, and anxiety and puts our kids in human traffickers’ crosshairs," Sanders said in a statement responding to the ruling in a post on X, shared by her communications director Alex Henning. "Today’s court decision delaying this needed protection is disappointing but I’m confident the Attorney General will vigorously defend the law and protect our children."

If the law had had prevailed in court, it would have been the first of its kind to apply these kinds of restrictions.