Court temporarily blocks state's social media law
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Arkansas cannot enforce a law that would require social media platforms to regulate minors' access — at least for now, a federal judge ruled this week.
Why it matters: The law, Act 900 of 2025, likely violates the First Amendment, U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks wrote in granting a preliminary injunction.
The big picture: The law is part of an ongoing effort by the state to restrict children's and teens' social media usage, but critics say such measures violate free speech rights.
- Arkansas is part of a growing push by states to regulate how social media platforms interact with minors, citing concerns about addiction, mental health and late-night use.
State of play: The law would have required social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and X to cease notifications to Arkansas minors between 10pm and 6am unless parents elected to "modify" this setting.
- The court concluded this would require notifications to be silenced for everyone in Arkansas who isn't an age-verified account holder and that the option for parents to override the setting makes it functionally useless.
What they're saying: "If parents wanted to prevent their children's sleep from being disrupted by late-night notifications, they have a readily available, free, no-tech solution already at their disposal: taking devices away at night," Brooks wrote.
Zoom in: NetChoice, the trade group that sued to block the law, also argued it should be void because of its "vagueness."
- According to the ruling, NetChoice is likely to succeed in that challenge regarding the law's provision that prohibits social media platforms from engaging in practices that "evoke any addiction or compulsive behaviors" in minors.
Flashback: An earlier version of the law was struck down last year. It would have required age verification for new social media users and parental consent from users under 18 to open an account.
- Another state law, Act 901, was temporarily blocked in December. It sought to prohibit platforms from causing a user to purchase a controlled substance, develop an eating disorder, die by suicide, attempt suicide or develop or sustain an addiction to the social media platform. It would have allowed parents to sue.
What's next: The Arkansas attorney general's office is considering its options and "will continue to vigorously defend Act 900," the Arkansas Advocate reported.