Arkansas Act 689 — Social Media Safety Act (Permanently Struck Down Mar 2025)
Arkansas Act 689 (the Social Media Safety Act) required minors under 18 to obtain parental consent before creating social media accounts and mandated age verification by platforms. Permanently struck down by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in March 2025 on First Amendment grounds, following a preliminary injunction that had blocked enforcement.
Related Incidents
Same harm domain, actors and location may differ
14-year-old girl groomed via social media by Sydney private school teacher leading to child abuse material charges
12-year-old girl sexually groomed via TikTok leading to out-of-state assault in Binghamton, New York
9-year-old girl dies after attempting blackout challenge on YouTube
13-year-old Louisiana girl exposed to AI-generated nude deepfake images leading to expulsion and federal lawsuit against school district
12-year-old girl groomed and coerced into self-harm and producing child sexual abuse materials via social media in New Jersey
Related Legislation
Other policies covering the same harm domain