Ark. Kids Privacy Bills Signed; Texas Advances Social Media Measure
A trio of child online safety bills became law in Arkansas this week. Meanwhile, in Texas, the House passed a kids safety measure Thursday.
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Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed HB-1717 on Monday and SB-611 and SB-612 the next day. HB-1717 is modeled after the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) 2.0, and would ban tech companies from collecting, retaining and disclosing minors' data, except in a few situations (see 2504160048). The measure will take effect July 1, 2026.
SB-611 and SB-612 amend Arkansas’ court-enjoined Social Media Safety Act (see 2504080058). Legislators introduced and passed the bills quickly after the U.S. District Court for Western Arkansas ruled that the social media law was unconstitutional.
Roughly 500 miles south, in Texas, state senators Thursday voted unanimously by voice for SB-2881, which requires digital service providers to set strict privacy settings on minors’ social media accounts by default. It will go to the House next.
Also that day, the Texas Senate voted 30-1 for a bill requiring AI disclosures (SB-668), sending it to the House. On Wednesday, the House supported a pared-down AI governance bill (see 2504240017).