Age Verification LawsUS states
Arkansas age verification laws
Since 1 August 2023, adult sites must check that Arkansas users are 18 or older, under Act 612.1, 2 The social media age check law, Act 689, is permanently blocked, and its 2025 rewrite, Act 900, is blocked for NetChoice's members.3
Checked 4 November 2026 against the sources.
Arkansas's laws at a glance
| Law | What it requires | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Act 612 of 2023SB 66, adult sites | Age checks on sites where more than 33.33% of the material is harmful to minors.1 | In force |
| Act 689 of 2023SB 396, Social Media Safety Act | Age checks for every new account, and a parent's consent for under-18s.4 | Blocked |
| Act 900 of 2025SB 611, amends Act 689 | Lowers the age to under 16, and adds default settings and a parent dashboard.5 | Partly blocked |
Adult sites: Act 612
The Protection of Minors from Distribution of Harmful Material Act, approved on 11 April 2023.1
The check
A site must use a reasonable age verification method before letting anyone in: a digitized ID card, such as a digital driver's license, a government-issued ID, or a commercial method that meets Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2).1
Once access is granted, neither the site nor its vendor may keep identifying information.1
Enforced by lawsuits
The act gives no enforcement role to the Attorney General. A site that fails to check is liable to an individual for damages from a minor's access, with court costs and attorney's fees, and a site that knowingly keeps identifying information is liable to the person whose information it kept.1
News, cloud providers, internet providers and search engines are excluded.1
Questions people ask
Is Arkansas's social media law blocked?
Act 689 is permanently blocked. Act 900 is blocked only as to NetChoice's members, by a preliminary injunction of 20 April 2026.3
Does Arkansas require age verification for adult sites?
Yes. Act 612 requires a reasonable age check on sites where more than a third of the material is harmful to minors.1
Can I be fined for visiting a site?
No. The liability in Act 612 falls on the commercial entity that publishes the material.1
Sources 6
- Act 612 of 2023 (SB 66), Arkansas General Assembly. Read 4 November 2026.
- Summary of General Legislation, 94th General Assembly (Act 612; effective date of acts), Arkansas Bureau of Legislative Research. Read 4 November 2026.
- NetChoice v. Griffin, No. 5:25-cv-5140, memorandum opinion and order of 20 April 2026, US District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, via the US Government Publishing Office. Read 4 November 2026.
- Act 689 of 2023 (SB 396), the Social Media Safety Act, Arkansas General Assembly. Read 4 November 2026.
- Act 900 of 2025 (SB 611), to amend the Social Media Safety Act, Arkansas General Assembly. Read 4 November 2026.
- NetChoice, LLC v. Griffin, No. 5:23-cv-5105, memorandum opinion and order of 31 August 2023, US District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, via the US Government Publishing Office. Read 4 November 2026.
Every fact here comes from the acts and the court's opinions, checked again and dated. How we check
Social media: Act 689 and Act 900
Act 689 had platforms use a third-party vendor to check the age of every account holder, with a parent's consent needed for minors. The Attorney General and prosecutors could enforce it, and individuals could seek $2,500 per violation.4 Act 900 raises that to $10,000 per violation, with each day counting as a separate violation.5 Other states' social media laws