Alabama Senate Delays Vote on Minors' Smartphone Age Verification

The Alabama Senate has delayed a vote on proposed bills that would impose content filters and age verification for minors on smartphones and tablets. These bills, backed by social conservatives, face opposition from the tech industry and resulted in a prolonged filibuster by Democrats. In Missouri, a new rule mandates commercial pornographic websites to verify user ages both at the site and device levels, aiming to protect minors from adult content. Meanwhile, Arkansas is revisiting its blocked age verification law due to constitutional concerns, with a new proposal that modifies definitions and compliance requirements for social media platforms. This reflects a broader trend across states to enhance protections for minors online. Both supporters and opponents of these measures express concerns about privacy, freedom of speech, and the effectiveness of such regulations.