Legislation Filed to Protect Private Information of Children Online Family Council [Video]

On Monday Arkansas lawmakers filed two measures aimed at protecting children’s personal information online.

H.B. 1082 by Rep. Andrew Collins (D — Little Rock) and Rep. Joy Springer (D — Little Rock) generally prevents websites and similar platforms from collecting, using, or sharing personal data of users aged 16 or younger without parental or individual consent. It also addresses targeted advertising based on children’s personal data.

H.B. 1083 by Rep. Andrew Collins (D — Little Rock) and Rep. Joy Springer (D — Little Rock) requires platforms to adopt safety measures concerning data collection, harmful content, and advertising. The bill would require platforms to automatically default to the most protective privacy settings for minors, and it would require them to give parents tools to manage privacy settings, monitor usage, and restrict purchases for their children online.

Policymakers, pundits, and parents have all expressed concern for children’s safety online recently.

Social media platforms aren’t just websites. These are multibillion dollar businesses owned …