Ian Patrick, FISM News
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Kids in Arkansas will now need a really good explanation for wanting to join Instagram.
On Wednesday, state Governor Sarah Huckabee-Sanders signed a bill requiring social media companies to perform age verification checks on new users.
The law, known as the Social Media Safety Act, will essentially require any user under the age of 18 to get parental consent before signing up for any social media site.
The age verification process will require uploading a driver’s license or government-issued identification through a third-party vendor.
During a signing ceremony, Gov. Sanders cited increased depression and suicide rates linked to social media use as just one important reason to have this bill go into effect.
“While social media can be a great tool and a wonderful resource, it can have a massive negative impact on our kids,” Sanders said.
“I think that anybody that looks around at what is happening and is satisfied with the status quo, frankly, you aren’t paying attention to what is happening here in our state and across the country,” she added.
The bill will go into effect starting in September. It will not apply to existing social media accounts, nor to out-of-state citizens.
This makes Arkansas the second state to sign a new type of legislation limiting social media use. In March, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a pair of bills that require age verification for creating social media accounts as well as a social media time limit for minors.