Republicans Introduce 'Age Verification' Bill in Arkansas

Republicans Introduce 'Age Verification' Bill in Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  — Two Republican state senators in Arkansas introduced a bill this week requiring age verification before “entering a website offering pornography.”

Senate Bill 66, which proposes a “Protection of Minors from Distribution of Harmful Material Act,” is sponsored by Sen. Tyler Dees (R-Siloam Springs) and Sen. Jim Petty (R-Van Buren). The proposed legislation is a copycat version of Louisiana’s Act 440, a new law championed by a religious anti-porn activist Republican legislator.

According to NBC affiliate KARK, the proposed bill “requires a digitized identification card to prove that anyone from Arkansas trying to enter a pornography website is over 18.”

The bill also “claims that pornography is creating a public health crisis and contributes to the hyper-sexualization of minors,” KARK reported.

The bill includes the senators’ definition of what kinds of material would constitute “pornography,” and mandates that “any website with over 23.33% of its material meeting the pornography description” institute age verification.

Drag Also 'Prurient' for Petty

Sen. Petty is also promoting Senate Bill 43, which would outlaw drag performances in front of children under 18. Today Petty told the Arkansas Senate that “children are worth preserving their innocence.” SB 43 would criminalize anyone who “sings, lip-synchs, dances, or otherwise performs before an audience of at least two persons for entertainment” while “exhibiting a gender identity that is different from the performer’s gender assigned at birth using clothing, makeup, or other accessories that are traditionally worn by members of and are meant to exaggerate the gender identity of the performer’s opposite sex” and “intending to appeal to the prurient interest.”

As XBIZ reported, Republicans throughout the country are seeking to outlaw all adult content by overturning the 1973 “Miller Test” differentiating First Amendment-protected sexual material from illegal “obscene” material produced to appeal to “a prurient interes

Main Image: Anti-porn Arkansas State Senators Tyler Dees (R-Siloam Springs) and Jim Petty (R-Van Buren) (Photo: Arkansas Senate)

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

2025 XBIZ Miami Speaker Lineup Announced

XBIZ is pleased to announce the release of the full speaker lineup for XBIZ Miami, the latest edition of the adult industry’s premier creator conference, set to take place May 19-22 at the Nautilus Sonesta Miami Beach hotel in South Beach.

AV Bulletin: Arizona's About-Face, What New Laws Mean for Adult

Industry stakeholders and free speech advocates have anxiously been awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, which could significantly impact state age verification laws around the United States. In the meantime, state legislatures continue to weigh and pass AV bills, the U.K. and the EU are moving ahead with their own AV mandates and strategies, and legal challenges continue to play out in U.S. courts — with some cases on hold pending the SCOTUS ruling in Paxton.

Million Billion Media Launches New Website

Management and PR agency Million Billion Media (MBM) has launched a new website.

'Neon Nightswim' Party Returns to XBIZ Miami

XBIZ is pleased to announce that the annual Neon Nightswim Pool Party will once again illuminate XBIZ Miami on Tuesday, May 20.

FSC Addresses UK Age Verification Guidelines

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published an article offering guidance on the U.K.'s Online Safety Act and the various guidelines put forward by the country's telecommunications regulator Ofcom.The article follows:

European Commission Posts AV Guidelines, Seeks Feedback

The European Commission has made public its draft guidelines on protecting minors online under the Digital Services Act, including age verification requirements covering adult sites and platforms.

'White-Hot' Party Set to Kick Off XBIZ Miami

XBIZ is pleased to announce that the annual White-Hot Party, the official opening bash of XBIZ Miami, is set for Monday, May 19, at Mynt Lounge in South Beach.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for March, April

AEBN has announced the top search terms for March and April from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Takedown Piracy Adds 'Search Max' Feature

Takedown Piracy has launched Search Max, a search engine for detecting, verifying, and removing Google infringements.

Sex Workers' Group Fights Proposed Swedish Ban on 'Remote' Sexual Services

The European Sex Workers’ Rights Alliance (ESWA) has launched a campaign against a Swedish government proposal to expand current laws against purchasing sexual services to apply to acts performed remotely by cammers, streamers and custom content creators.

Show More