Arkansas takes a hatchet to adults’ and minors’ protected speech alike though the Constitution demands it use a scalpel,” the judge said.

A federal judge this week found that an Arkansas law requiring age verification for social media users is unconstitutional and permanently blocked the law, according to a ruling posted by the trade association that opposed it.

An Arkansas law requiring social media companies to verify the ages of their users has been struck down by a federal judge who ruled that it was unconstitutional. The decision is a significant victory for the social media companies and digital rights groups that have opposed the law and others like it.