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Arkansas Lawmakers and Governor Favor Age Verification For Internet

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SOCIAL MEDIA AGE VERIFICATION - Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders wants to hold social media companies accountable for age verification so that social media users younger than 18 would have to seek parental permission to have access. At press conference in Little Rock late last week – Sanders announced Senate Bill 396 which would create the Social Media Safety Act. The bill states that if the user is under the age of 18 years old, they will need a parent's permission to use the website or an app.

“It’s an already incredibly dangerous world and the last thing they need is to be exposed to some of the worst and most hateful parts of it that play out on social media every day,” Sanders said.

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders support SB-396
Arkansas Gov/YouTube
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders support SB-396

If the bill becomes law, Arkansas internet users would have to submit a “digitized identification card” that shows they are at least 18 years old. Sanders said Social media companies would be responsible for user verification through a third party service.

Chuck Smith brings more than 30 years' broadcast and media experience to Red River Radio. He began his career as a radio news reporter and transitioned to television journalism and newsmagazine production. Chuck studied mass communications at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia and motion picture / television production at the University of California at Los Angeles. He has also taught writing for television at York Technical College in Rock Hill, South Carolina and video / film production at Centenary College of Louisiana, Shreveport.