---
type: "Bill"
title: "TO CREATE THE SOCIAL MEDIA SAFETY ACT; TO REQUIRE AGE VERIFICATION FOR USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA; AND TO CLARIFY LIABILITY FOR FAILURE TO PERFORM AGE VERIFICATION FOR USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND ILLEGAL RETENTION OF DATA."
description: "TO CREATE THE SOCIAL MEDIA SAFETY ACT; TO REQUIRE AGE VERIFICATION FOR USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA; AND TO CLARIFY LIABILITY FOR FAILURE TO PERFORM AGE VERIFICATION FOR USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND ILLEGAL RETENTION OF DATA."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ar"
legislature: "Arkansas Legislature"
session: "2023"
identifier: "SB 396"
citation: "Arkansas SB 396 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Dees", "Eubanks"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 31
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2023-03-09T19:28:56+00:00"
last_action: "2023-04-11T21:21:48+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/574bc840-1846-4650-ae08-e4278c4ddf67"
source_url: "ftp://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/SessionInformation/LegislativeMeasures.txt"
source_hash: "feb0f34db6be7d9f9842601f24f6a5902c286def378cf93b21cf0d04c7b1debd"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ar"]
---

# Arkansas SB 396 (2023) — TO CREATE THE SOCIAL MEDIA SAFETY ACT; TO REQUIRE AGE VERIFICATION FOR USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA; AND TO CLARIFY LIABILITY FOR FAILURE TO PERFORM AGE VERIFICATION FOR USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND ILLEGAL RETENTION OF DATA.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Act 689** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Acts/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2023R%2FPublic%2F&file=689.pdf&ddBienniumSession=2023%2F2023R)
2. **Amendment H1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB396-H1.pdf)
3. **Amendment S1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FAMEND%2F2023R%2FPublic%2FSB396-S1.pdf)
4. **SB 396** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2023/2023R/Bills/SB396.pdf)

## Votes

- Read the third time and passed. — **21–3** (pass) · upper
- Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. — **82–10** (pass) · lower
- Read the third time and passed. — **18–1** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Dees — primary (person)
- Eubanks — primary (person)
- J. Petty — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2023-03-09T19:28:56+00:00** Filed `introduction`
- **2023-03-09T19:52:45+00:00** Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to INSURANCE & COMMERCE - SENATE `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2023-03-27T20:00:51+00:00** Rules suspended.
- **2023-03-27T20:01:02+00:00** Withdrawn from Committee for purpose of amendment # 1
- **2023-03-27T20:01:06+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2023-03-27T20:01:12+00:00** Amendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.
- **2023-03-27T22:36:52+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2023-03-27T22:37:01+00:00** Re-referred to INSURANCE & COMMERCE - SENATE `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-28T18:45:10+00:00** Returned by the Committee, with the recommendation that it Do Pass `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-29T20:23:47+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-03-29T20:23:54+00:00** Ordered immediately transmitted to the House.
- **2023-03-29T21:04:49+00:00** RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
- **2023-03-29T22:32:35+00:00** RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
- **2023-03-29T23:32:57+00:00** Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on INSURANCE & COMMERCE- HOUSE `reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2023-04-04T01:30:22+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it do pass as amended 1 `committee-passage`
- **2023-04-04T13:29:56+00:00** Placed on second reading for the purpose of amendment.
- **2023-04-04T13:29:58+00:00** Amendment No. 1 read and adopted and the bill ordered engrossed. `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage`
- **2023-04-04T16:30:37+00:00** REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED
- **2023-04-05T20:23:31+00:00** Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-04-05T20:23:46+00:00** Returned To Senate as passed, as amended # 1
- **2023-04-06T00:22:56+00:00** Returned From the House as passed, as amended # 1
- **2023-04-06T00:23:02+00:00** Re-referred to INSURANCE & COMMERCE - SENATE `referral-committee`
- **2023-04-06T02:28:40+00:00** Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass concur in House Amendment No. 1 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-04-06T16:25:40+00:00** Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.
- **2023-04-06T16:25:46+00:00** House Amendment No. 1 read first time, rule suspended, read second time and concurred in.
- **2023-04-06T16:25:51+00:00** Rules suspended.
- **2023-04-06T16:25:59+00:00** Read the third time and passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-04-06T16:26:10+00:00** ORDERED ENROLLED
- **2023-04-07T19:25:55+00:00** Reported correctly enrolled and ordered delivered to the Governor.
- **2023-04-07T19:25:57+00:00** DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR. `executive-receipt`
- **2023-04-11T21:21:48+00:00** Notification that SB396 is now Act 689 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/574bc840-1846-4650-ae08-e4278c4ddf67`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Arkansas legislature records).