NY Governor signs legislation to curb addictive social media, ‘protect kids’

Governor Kathy Hochul signed nation-leading legislation to combat addictive social media feeds and protect kids online. Legislation S.7694A/A.8148A establishes the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation, SAFE, For Kids Act to require social media companies to restrict addictive feeds on their platforms for users under 18. Legislation S.7695B/A.8149A enables the New York Child Data Protection Act to prohibit online sites from collecting, using, sharing or selling personal data of anyone under the age of 18, unless they receive informed consent or unless doing so is strictly necessary for the purpose of the website.”Young people across the nation are facing a mental health crisis fueled by addictive social media feeds – and New York is leading the way with a new model for addressing the crisis and protecting our kids,” Governor Hochul said. “By reining in addictive feeds and shielding kids’ personal data, we’ll provide a safer digital environment, give parents more peace of mind, and create a brighter future for young people across New York.” The Governor was joined at today’s bill signing by Attorney General Letitia James and bill sponsors State Senator Andrew Gounardes and State Assemblymember Nily Rozic, marking the culmination of a jointly led push to pass and sign this nation-leading legislation. Publicly traded companies in the social media space include Meta Platforms (META), Pinterest (PINS), Reddit (RDDT) and Snap (SNAP).