Judge blocks Arkansas law requiring parental OK for minors to create social media accounts

By ANDREW DeMILLO
Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A federal judge has blocked Arkansas from enforcing a new law that would have required parental consent for minors to create new social media accounts. U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks on Thursday granted a preliminary injunction requested by NetChoice, a tech industry trade group whose members include X, formerly known as Twitter, and Facebook parent Meta. The law was signed by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and had been set to take effect Sept. 1. Similar restrictions have been enacted in Utah, Texas and Louisiana but Arkansas’ was the first scheduled to take effect. Opponents have argued the restriction violates the First Amendment.