New York State Council’s current session is coming to an end in just a few weeks. On May 22nd, Governor Hochu announced that he would urge the State Council to prioritize the passage of two strict social media regulations to prevent harm to children and adolescents on social media platforms.
Governor Hochu, speaking at a press conference held at the state capitol that day, emphasized the importance of combating addictive social media algorithms and ensuring the safety of children online. He urged the State Council to seize the final weeks of this session and pass the “Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation for Kids Act” (SAFE) and “The New York Child Data Protection Act” – two bills aimed at regulating social media.
The “Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation for Kids Act” requires companies to change their algorithms to avoid creating addictive content and restrict its dissemination to minors, requiring age verification or parental consent. The “New York Child Data Protection Act” limits online platforms from collecting personal data of minors.
State Senator Andrew Gounardes and State Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, who introduced the two bills, have promised to push for the State Council to pass them before the end of the June session. Gounardes condemned social media platforms for exploiting the vulnerability and insecurity of young users for profit, emphasizing the urgent need for the bills to be passed quickly. He expressed optimism that passage is within reach.
According to a recent poll released by Siena College on May 22nd, 63% of New York State voters support legislation that prohibits social media platforms from sending addictive content to minors without parental consent, while only 26% oppose. Governor Hochu also expressed a desire to further ban children from using phones in school.
However, social media companies have already voiced concerns that such legislation infringes on the freedom of speech protected by the U.S. Constitution, threatening legal action once the bills are passed. TikTok has filed a lawsuit against the federal legislation, while companies like Meta (the parent company of Instagram and Facebook) and Google have invested significant resources in lobbying efforts to oppose legislative actions in New York State.