United States of America: US District Court issued permanent injunction against Arkansas Act 689 (Social Media Safety Act) in lawsuit challenging parental consent and age verification requirements (NetChoice v Griffin)

On 31 March 2025, the US District Court for the Western District of Arkansas permanently enjoined the Arkansas Social Media Safety Act, on the grounds that it was unconstitutional under the First and Fourteenth Amendments. The lawsuit was filed by NetChoice, LLC, against the Arkansas Attorney General. The court determined that Act 689 imposed a content-based restriction on speech without sufficiently serving the state's stated interest of protecting minors from harmful online interactions. The Act stipulated the requirement for age verification through government-issued identification or biometric data for Arkansas users of specific social media platforms. However, it exempted platforms such as YouTube, Snapchat, Omegle, and gaming websites from this requirement. Furthermore, the court deemed the Act unconstitutionally vague due to the ambiguous definitions of terms such as "primary purpose," "substantial function," and "predominant function," thereby engendering uncertainty regarding the regulated entities. Consequently, the court issued a permanent injunction to halt the enforcement of the Act.