LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders today announced two pieces of legislation that she called for during her 2025 State of the State address to expand social media protections in Arkansas. Senator Tyler Dees (District 35) and Representative Jon Eubanks (District 46) are the legislations’ primary sponsor.
 
“Arkansas has led the nation on commonsense, conservative reforms to protect kids online and these additional protections continue that effort,” said Governor Sanders. “Moms and dads whose kids have fallen victim to Big Tech deserve the right to take action against these abusive companies – and Arkansas law should protect kids so they aren’t subjected to toxic material in the first place.”
 
“I’ve been honored to stand by Governor Sanders’ side to help make Arkansas a safer place for our kids,” said Senator Tyler Dees. “These commonsense reforms will ensure our children are protected on the internet and will help Arkansas stand up to abusive Big Tech companies.”
 
“We’ve all seen how Big Tech companies take advantage of our most vulnerable kids. It’s time for states to stand up and fight back,” said Representative Jon Eubanks. “This legislation keeps our children safe online and puts their safety where it should be – in the hands of parents.”  
 
This legislation establishes a private right of action for parents whose child commits suicide or attempts suicide because of his or her exposure to toxic material on socialmedia, allowing them to sue abusive Big Tech companies in state court.
 
Additionally, this legislation amends the Social Media Safety Act of 2023. It clarifies the definition of “social media” to expand protections to additional platforms, lowers the age of minor users to 16, prohibits social media algorithms from targeting minors, and adds a penalty for companies that do not comply. These new regulations will only apply to new account holders.
 
Governor Sanders previously signed the Social Media Safety Act into law in 2023, requiring parental consent before minors create new social media accounts. That law is currently enjoined in court, but these amendments seek to remedy those issues and allow it to go into effect.
 
The Governor signed the Bell to Bell, No Cell Act into law on February 20, 2025, banning personal electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, in Arkansas schools throughout the school day. This is the most sweeping phone-free schools legislation in the United States.
 
Governor Sanders previously launched a phone-free schools pilot program last summer, offering participating districts funding to purchase pouches to store students’ phones during the day and go phone-free. She was inspired to launch this program after reading The Anxious Generation by author Jonathan Haidt, and also sent a copy of the book to every legislator in Arkansas and every governor in America.
 
Sanders and Haidt toured schools across the state in December to promote the phone-free schools program and see its implementation. Beyond school visits, they held a roundtable and speaking engagements, inviting legislators, parents, and educators to join the conversation. The Governor and Haidt also spoke on a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to promote phone-free schools.