NY passes legislation to ban social media platforms from using “addictive” recommendation algorithms for users under 18; Gov. Hochul is likely to sign the bill
The New York state legislation will ban social media platforms from algorithmically recommending content to children.
NBC NewsKat Tenbarge
Context & Ripple Effects
New York’s legislative move marked an early effort to regulate a platform feature—recommendation-driven feeds—rather than social media access in general. The measure’s importance lies in making protections for minors a product-design question for platforms operating in the state.
If enacted, social platforms serving New York users under 18 would need to stop using the covered recommendation approach for those accounts, requiring age-based product and feed controls.
The bill would shift the immediate compliance focus from content moderation to how platforms rank and deliver content to minors.
Second-order effects
Platforms may favor a single youth-feed design across jurisdictions rather than maintain separate New York-specific experiences, especially as California adopted similar youth-feed limits.
Age assurance, account settings, and notification controls become more consequential operational layers because platforms need a reliable way to distinguish minor users from adults.
Third-order effects
The measure points toward state regulation of engagement-oriented interface mechanics, not only the content hosted on platforms; its practical reach will depend on how “addictive” recommendations are defined and enforced.
If multiple states continue to converge on youth-specific feed restrictions, platform governance could increasingly be shaped by the strictest state-level product rules rather than a uniform national standard.
The trend: States are moving from broad concerns about minors online toward rules that directly constrain the engagement and recommendation features of social platforms.
BIG: Safe for Kids Act has passed the NY Assembly Hochul expected to sign legislation to make NY first state to restrict algorithmic social media feeds for minors Final vote: 142-1 Sponsored by Nily Rozic in Assembly, Andrew Gounardes in Senate
The governor of New York is desperately trying to change the subject. The #1 killer of kids, by far, for decades has been cars. If she cared about the wellbeing of children she would implement congestion pricing. She is throwing NY kids under the wheels of New Jersey drivers. [im…
NEW: New York just passed nation-leading legislation to combat addictive social media feeds and protect kids online. Grateful to @NewYorkStateAG and our partners in the Legislature for working with us to advance the SAFE for Kids Act and the New York Child Data Protection Act.
Passing these groundbreaking bills wouldn't have been possible without the hard work of @nily, @NewYorkStateAG + @GovKathyHochul, as well as the tireless advocacy of @wearemama, @CommonSense and the parents, teachers, doctors and young people who stood up for what's right.
This legislation will serve as a model for other states to follow and curb the most dangerous aspects of social media to protect children online. I applaud @AndreaSCousins, @CarlHeastie, and the legislature for passing these bills, and I look forward to them becoming law.
Once again, our state is leading the nation and protecting our kids and their mental health. These bills my office advanced will limit harmful social media features and safeguard kids' online data.
Our kids are enduring a mental health crisis, and social media is fueling the fire. Today, New York passed historic legislation my office worked on with @GovKathyHochul, @Sen_Gounardes, and @nily to put our kids' mental health above big tech's profits.
The SAFE for Kids Act will stop social media platforms from offering addictive feeds to users under 18 and the New York Child Data Protection Act will protect these young people's privacy. It's a big step that @aftunion @nysut @uft are celebrating! https://www.nysut.org/...