Latest news with #SocialMediaSafetyAct
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mother who loses son to suicide responds to amendments of Social Media Safety Act
FAYETTEVILLE (KNWA/FOX24) — The impact of the amendments of the 2023 Social Media Safety Act is already being felt despite not even being signed yet by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Senate Bills 611 and 612 are partner bills that are meant to protect minors from the harm that can be caused by social media platforms. SB612 also lays the framework for parents or guardians to take legal action against social media companies if their child is a victim of self-harm due to content they consume. For one Centerton mother, these amendments are welcomed. Jennie DeSerio's 16-year-old son, Mason, took his own life, and she believes the content he consumed on TikTok had a direct effect on his decision that night. Roughly a year since his passing, Deserio is determined to be a rock for other parents who may be experiencing similar situations. SNAP Changes: What foods could be excluded in Arkansas? 'I really thought that my purpose as his mother died that night with him. And, when I found out what TikTok had been sending him, I realized that my purpose as a mom didn't die. It just transformed. So now my purpose as Mason's mom is to make sure no other parent suffers the loss that I have,' DeSerio said. Senator Tyler Dees is the sponsor of these bills, and he said lawmakers are doing what they can to stop social media platforms from targeting the youth. 'We want to tell you we're listening. Your legislature is listening. We're trying to make a difference. We want to bring your stories. As awful as they are, we want them to be the last stories we hear about. We want to make sure that these social media companies are being held accountable,' Dees said. For more information on the legislation changes, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas Senate approves proposed changes to blocked social media age verification law
Sen. Missy Irvin (left), R-Mountain View, asks a question about Senate Bill 611, sponsored by Sen. Tyler Dees (right), R-Siloam Springs, on the Senate floor on Monday, April 7, 2025. (Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate) The Arkansas House will consider a proposed amendment to the state's enjoined social media age verification law after the legislation received Senate approval Monday. Additionally, the Senate will vote Tuesday on a bill that would create a right for parents to sue social media platforms if their child develops eating disorders, self-harms, commits or attempts suicide, or becomes addicted to the platform's feeds because of content the child was exposed to. Sen. Tyler Dees, R-Siloam Springs, and Rep. Jon Eubanks, R-Paris, introduced both bills last week. Senate Bill 611 would amend Act 689 of 2023, the Social Media Safety Act, which was the first of its kind in the nation and required social media platforms to verify the age of new account holders in Arkansas. Those under 18 could only access sites with parental permission. A federal judge temporarily blocked Act 689 in August 2023, before it went into effect, and permanently blocked the law March 31 for violating the First Amendment and the due process clause of the U.S. Constitution. The amendments to Act 689 in SB 611 more clearly define social media and apply the definition to more platforms, lower the age of minor users from under 18 to under 16 years old, prohibit social media algorithms from targeting minors, and add a penalty for companies that do not comply. 'There still is reasonable age-verification language, but it puts more emphasis on the social media company to make sure that they are not preying on the youth,' Dees said. SB 611 passed the Senate with a bipartisan 21 votes. Four senators voted present and seven did not vote. Sens. Ricky Hill, R-Cabot; Jim Dotson, R-Bentonville; and Stephanie Flowers, D-Pine Bluff, voted against the bill. Arkansas Legislature passes social media age verification bill over privacy, speech concerns Hill expressed the same concerns he did in 2023 before he voted against Act 689. 'I know I'm not going to change any of y'all's minds, but I do want you to think about the slippery slope we're walking on,' Hill said. '…If you want to limit the freedom of speech, go ahead and continue to vote for this.' Dees said SB 611 would not result in withholding content but instead would 'protect our most vulnerable.' 'We're trying to make sure that the profits of these social media companies don't come before the protection of our children,' Dees said. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders made the Social Media Safety Act a priority during her first year in office. In January, she called on lawmakers to amend the law and to give parents the right to take legal action against technology companies if their children experience mental health crises, such as suicidal ideation, tied to social media consumption. No members of the public spoke for or against Senate Bill 612, the private right of action bill, before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which passed the bill with no audible dissent Monday. Under SB 612, a social media platform could be held accountable for 'placing content on the feed, screen, account, or other digital medium of the minor that causes the minor to view the content without explicitly searching for that specific content and includes algorithmic promotion of the content based on a previous search or engagement' if viewing the content leads to 'significant bodily or cognitive harm.' Dees told both the committee and the full Senate that technology companies have contacted him asking for the bills to be amended so it would not be applicable to them. He said he is open to amending the bill but does not want to accommodate billion-dollar companies that have 'neglected our youth.' SB 611 and SB 612 both establish a civil penalty of $10,000 per violation. The penalty for violating the Social Media Safety Act was originally $2,500 per violation. Sens. Clarke Tucker, D-Little Rock, and Gary Stubblefield, R-Branch, both asked Dees during the committee meeting how a plaintiff would prove under SB 612 that a social media platform 'knowingly' caused intangible harm to a minor. Whether a platform leads a minor to 'develop or sustain an addiction' to it, as SB 612 states, is 'a little tougher to prove' than a suicide attempt or an eating disorder 'without getting inside someone's head,' Tucker said. Dees said SB 612 is 'the framework to have that discussion' and creates a process for the courts to decide 'if there's damaging aspects that have taken place as a result of an interaction with Big Tech.' Dees and Eubanks also sponsored the Bell to Bell, No Cell Act, which Sanders signed in February, that bans personal electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, in schools. In March, a bipartisan majority of House members approved two bills that mimic stalled federal legislation aimed at regulating companies' online interactions with children. Lead sponsor Rep. Zack Gramlich, R-Fort Smith, told the Advocate he does not expect to proceed with one of them, the Arkansas Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). The other bill is House Bill 1717, the Arkansas Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act. Gramlich said he is amending the bill and hopes to present it to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. HB 1717 would ban technology companies from collecting data from Arkansas minors except under specific circumstances, such as for financial transactions. They would also be barred from retaining that data and disclosing it to third parties that use the information in advertising targeted to children. Editor's Note: If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bills would amend Arkansas social media law, create right for parents to sue platforms
After a federal judge blocked Arkansas' online safety law for children, two legislators filed a bill to amend the law to address its challenges and another bill to give parents the right to sue social media platforms if they violate the law. () Two days after a federal judge permanently blocked Arkansas' Social Media Safety Act, state lawmakers filed two bills Wednesday aimed at expanding social media protections for children. Senate Bill 611 would amend Act 689 of 2023 (the Social Media Safety Act), apparently to address some of the judge's reasons for ruling as he did. Act 689 was the first of its kind in the nation and was a priority of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in her first year in office. It required social media platforms to verify the age of new account holders in Arkansas. Those under 18 could only access sites with parental permission. Senate Bill 612 would create a right for parents to sue social media platforms if their child develops eating disorders, self-harms, commits or tries to commit suicide, or becomes addicted to the platform's feeds because of content the child was exposed to. Both bills establish a civil penalty of $10,000 per violation. Sen. Tyler Dees, R-Siloam Springs, and Rep. Jon Eubanks, R-Paris, are chief sponsors of both bills. In January, Sanders called on the Legislature to amend the Social Media Safety Act so it wouldn't be held up in court any longer. U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks of the Western District of Arkansas had temporarily blocked it in August 2023, shortly before it was to take effect. Brooks on Monday ruled that law violated the First Amendment and the due process clause of the U.S. Constitution. Sanders also asked lawmakers in January to create a right for parents to sue social media platforms if their children kill themselves because of content encouraging them to self-harm. The governor noted the presence of a woman in the gallery whose child died by suicide. In a press release Wednesday announcing the filing of SB 611 and 612, Sanders noted that Arkansas 'has led the nation on commonsense, conservative reforms to protect kids online, and these additional protections continue that effort.' 'Moms and dads whose kids have fallen victim to Big Tech deserve the right to take action against these abusive companies – and Arkansas law should protect kids so they aren't subjected to toxic material in the first place.' Eubanks and Dees echoed Sanders' comments. 'This legislation keeps our children safe online, and puts their safety where it should be — in the hands of parents,' Eubanks said in the press release. SB 612 'establishes a private right of action for parents whose child commits suicide or attempts suicide because of his or her exposure to toxic material on social media, allowing them to sue abusive Big Tech companies in state court,' Sanders' press release says. The amendments to Act 689 in SB 611 more clearly define social media and apply the definition to more platforms, lower the age of minor users to 16, prohibit social media algorithms from targeting minors, and add a penalty for companies that do not comply, according to the press release. The regulations would apply only to new accounts, it said. This new legislation follows Sanders' signing of the Bell to Bell, No Cell Act in February that bans personal electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, in schools. That bill was also sponsored by Dees and Eubanks. Editor's Note: If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Sanders announces bills targeting social media harm to children
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced two bills to expand social media protections in Arkansas, following her 2025 State of the State address. Senate Bill 612 would create a private right of action against social media platforms that knowingly cause harm through their design, algorithms or features, particularly contributing to a minor's suicide or attempted suicide. Platforms found in violation could face civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation, along with damages and legal costs. Parents or guardians of minors who suffer harm from harmful online content may sue the platform responsible, with courts able to award relief, medical expenses and punitive damages. 'This legislation establishes a private right of action for parents whose child commits suicide or attempts suicide because of his or her exposure to toxic material on social media, allowing them to sue abusive Big Tech companies in state court,' according to a press release from the Governor's office. 'Defense Against Criminal Illegals Act' passes Arkansas senate The second bill amends the Social Media Safety Act of 2023, expanding the protections provided to minors on social media. Key changes include: A broader definition of 'social media' to cover additional platforms. A reduction in the age of minors covered by the law to include those as young as 16. A ban on social media algorithms targeting minors. A penalty for companies that fail to comply with the law's provisions. Senator Tyler Dees and Representative Jon Eubanks are the primary sponsors. These changes will apply to new accounts created after the legislation is enacted. The amendments are intended to address issues with the original Social Media Safety Act, which is currently blocked by a court injunction. Governor Sanders signed the Social Media Safety Act into law in 2023, requiring parental consent for minors to create social media accounts. However, its enforcement is currently on hold due to a judge striking it down on Apr. 1. 'These amendments seek to remedy those issues and allow it to go into effect,' said the Governor's office in a press release. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal judge strikes down Arkansas social media age verification law
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A federal judge in Fayetteville has struck down an Arkansas law that would require minors to get a parent's permission before they can create a social media account. NetChoice, a tech trade association based in Washington, D.C. with notable members such as Meta and X, sued the state of Arkansas over Act 689 in June 2023, claiming that it violated the First Amendment. Act 689, also known as the Social Media Safety Act, required certain social media companies to verify the ages of those in the state seeking to create an account and check to ensure that minors have parental permission. However, Western District of Arkansas judge Timothy Brooks said the law isn't narrowly tailored to address the state's interests in protecting minors from objectionable content. Study: Arkansas homebuyers need this much income to afford a 'typical' home On Monday, the lawsuit came to a close after the judge struck down the law, claiming that the law infringed on the First Amendment rights of internet users and was unconstitutionally vague, violating the Fourteenth Amendment. 'Rather than targeting content that is harmful to minors, Act 689 simply impedes access to content writ large,' Brooks said. Brooks wrote that since the law drew content-based and speaker-based distinctions to determine which companies had to follow the law, it was deemed unconstitutional under the First Amendment. 'Arkansas takes a hatchet to adults' and minors' protected speech alike, though the Constitution demands it use a scalpel,' Brooks wrote in a 41-page order on Monday. Brooks also said the law is too vague in defining what online services are covered by the age verification requirements. The law was set to go into effect on Sept. 1, 2023, but on August 31, 2023, Brooks filed a preliminary injunction, preventing the law from taking effect. Arkansas man arrested, facing 461 counts of child pornography charges After months of motions to extend and motions for summary judgment, Brooks granted Netchoice's motion for summary judgment and permanently enjoined the law on Monday, ending the lawsuit. Chris Marchese, the director of the NetChoice Litigation Center, released the following statement on Tuesday morning: 'The court confirms what we have been arguing from the start: laws restricting access to protected speech violate the First Amendment. And while we are grateful that this law has been permanently struck down and free speech online preserved, we remain open to working with Arkansas policymakers to advance legislation that protects minors without violating the Constitution.' 'This ruling protects Americans from having to hand over their IDs or biometric data just to access constitutionally protected speech online,' Marchese noted. 'It reaffirms that parents—not politicians or bureaucrats—should decide what's appropriate for their children.' 'I respect the court's decision, and we are evaluating our options,' Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said in a statement to KNWA/FOX24 on Tuesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
