A bill that would require adults in Arkansas to verify their age to access pornography websites on the internet passed the Senate today with no dissent. The proposed legislation would also hold commercial entities liable for damages for content deemed “harmful for minors” if they don’t require age verification.
Sponsor Sen. Tyler Dees (R-Siloam Springs) noted that adults have to show proof of I.D. to purchase alcohol or cigarettes. “I would argue that some of the exposure to some of this material is worse, or more harmful, than some of the alcohol or tobacco.”
The bill is modeled on one in Louisiana, which already had a digital wallet in place. Arkansas doesn’t have that, though Scott Hardin, a spokesman for the Department of Finance and Administration said the agency is studying the issue.