Arkansas Social Media Age-Check Law’s Demise Threatens Others

State efforts to limit minors’ access to social media with an age verification gate are likely to find the First Amendment a persistent obstacle, as Arkansas discovered after its law was struck down by a federal judge earlier this week.

An Arkansas-style approach “is not going to be fruitful,” said Ben Sperry, a scholar at the International Center for Law & Economics who writes about age verification policies.

There’s a chance Arkansas will appeal the ruling, but there “is a real question out there as the constitutionality of straight age verification legislation,” said Marc Berkman, CEO of the ...