New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed two bills aimed at protecting minors from the addictive nature of social media. The first bill, known as the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act, requires parental consent before social media companies can display ‘addictive feeds’ that use recommendation algorithms to children under the age of 18. It also prohibits social media platforms from sending notifications to minors between midnight and 6 a.m. without parental consent. The bill will take effect 180 days after New York Attorney General Letitia James finalizes the exact rules and guidelines. Social media companies will be subject to fines of up to $5,000 for each violation if they violate these requirements.
The second bill, called the ‘New York State Children’s Data Protection Act,’ prohibits online sites and devices from collecting, using, sharing or selling data from minors without their consent. The New York State Child Data Protection Act also imposes civil penalties of $5,000 for each violation, which will take effect one year after the bill is enacted.
Governor Hochul stated that the purpose of these bills is to protect children’s mental health from addictive feeds used on social media platforms and sleep disorders caused by night-time use of social media. She believes that by curbing addictive feeds and protecting children’s personal data, a safer digital environment will be created, giving parents peace of mind and creating a brighter future for New York’s young people.
However, some technology companies argue that the law would restrict free speech online and violate the First Amendment. Meta, for instance, stated that while they do not support every aspect of the bill, they do support requiring parental consent to obtain apps from the app store.
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