HB1726

The Arkansas Kids Online Safety Act (HB1726) establishes a legal framework requiring 'covered platforms'—defined as online entities designed to attract or engage users 16 years of age or younger—to implement safety measures protecting minors. The bill mandates that these platforms identify and mitigate heightened risks of harm, such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and exposure to sexual exploitation or predatory marketing. It requires platforms to provide specific safeguards, including tools to limit communication, restrict data sharing, disable engagement-driving features like auto-play, and opt-out of personalized recommendation systems. Platforms must allow minors to delete their accounts and personal data and must offer parents tools to manage privacy settings and monitor or restrict time spent on the platform. The legislation specifies that for users 12 and younger, protective settings must be enabled by default. It includes several exemptions for entities such as broadband providers, libraries, news websites, and platforms compliant with existing federal children's privacy laws.