Tech industry group seeks to block reworked Arkansas social media law
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The earlier law and the reworked version would have required age verification to create new social media accounts. A federal judge declared the 2023 law unconstitutional and permanently blocked it in April.
This story was originally published by the Arkansas Advocate.
A tech industry trade group asked a federal judge Monday to temporarily block a reworked version of an Arkansas law struck down by a judge that would have restricted minors’ social media access.
Monday’s filing stems from NetChoice’s lawsuit challenging Act 900 of 2025, which sought to amend a 2023 law found to be unconstitutional.
The earlier law and the reworked version would have required age verification to create new social media accounts. A federal judge declared the 2023 law unconstitutional and permanently blocked it in April.
“Arkansas’ ‘cosmetic’ update does not remedy the law’s continued constitutional defects,” NetChoice Litigation Co-Director Paul Taske said in a press release. “The new law, like its predecessor, ignores the First Amendment and will meet the same fate.”
In a statement, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said he would “vigorously defend Act 900.”
Monday’s motion for a preliminary injunction, which NetChoice filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, builds on a lawsuit the tech group filed in June challenging two 2025 laws, Acts 900 and Act 901.
A federal judge in December granted the group’s request to temporarily block one of the laws, Act 901. That law would have allowed parent parents to sue social media platforms if exposure to content on their sites results in their child developing eating disorders, committing or attempting suicide, or becoming addicted to the platform’s feeds. The December ruling did not address Act 900.
Other states have also faced legal challenges for their social media laws, including Florida, Georgia and Ohio.
Editor's Note: This story was updated on Jan. 12 at 5:51 pm to include comments from NetChoice and Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin.
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