NY's governor signs two bills to protect minors, banning “addictive feeds”, limiting data collection, barring social media notifications from 12am to 6am, more
not publication of 3 party content. Governor Kathy Hochul / @govkathyhochul : With our SAFE for Kids Act and NY Child Data Protection Act, we're sending a clear message: We won't let kids be bombarded by addictive social media feeds. We'll keep them safe online. Proud to sign these nation-leading bills into law. It's time for other states to follow. [image] Ny Ag / @newyorkstateag : I'm proud to stand with @GovKathyHochul, @Sen_Gounardes, and @nily at @UFT today to sign our nation-leading legislation to protect our kids from the harms of social media into law. These laws will keep our kids safe from addictive feeds that seriously hurt their mental health. [image] Zach Williams / @zachreports : These bills won't take immediate effect -Safe for Kids: Once AG finishes regulations determining key stuff like age verification - Child Data Protection Act: In one year Governor Kathy Hochul / @govkathyhochul : New York is taking a stand against the toxic algorithms social media companies push on young people. Join me live as I sign our first-in-the-nation legislation to combat addictive feeds and keep our kids safe: https://www.governor.ny.gov/ @commonsense : A historic day in New York, as @GovKathyHochul signed the SAFE for Kids Act into law. Our @LizFol stands with powerful advocates like @NewYorkStateAG, @Sen_Gounardes, & @nily to see this important step in making kids safer online. [image] Governor Kathy Hochul / @govkathyhochul : Today I will be signing our first-in-the-nation legislation to combat addictive social media feeds and protect kids online. New York is leading this national conversation. We won't let companies put their profits over our kids' mental health. @nysocfs : New York has established the nation's most stringent protections to safeguard kids on social media as @GovKathyHochul today signed nation-leading legislation to combat addictive social media feeds and protect kids online: https://www.governor.ny.gov/ ... Governor Kathy Hochul / @govkathyhochul : As I prepare to sign our nation-leading social media bills, I'm thinking of the New Yorkers who told me about the harm caused by addictive algorithms. Young people struggling with their mental health. Parents who saw their kids in distress. We're doing this for them. [image] Forums: Hacker News : New York Establishes Stringent Protections to Safeguard Kids onSocial Media r/technews : New York bans “addictive feeds” for teens | The legislation will also limit social media notifications to teens' phones overnight. r/technology : New York bans “addictive feeds” for teens | The legislation will also limit social media notifications to teens' phones overnight. Msmash / Slashdot : New York Bans ‘Addictive Feeds’ For Teens
The VergeLauren Feiner
Context & Ripple Effects
New York moved from legislative passage to enactment of its under-18 social-media rules, following the earlier state legislative approval of limits on addictive recommendation feeds. The paired laws address both the design of minors’ feeds and the collection and use of their data.
The measure belongs to a widening state-level policy response: California subsequently enacted similar minor-focused feed and notification restrictions in its own social-media youth-protection law. New York’s attorney general still must define key implementation details, including age verification, before the feed rules take effect.
First-order effects
Social platforms serving New York minors must prepare to restrict feeds characterized as addictive, limit overnight notifications, and comply with tighter rules on minors’ data collection and use.
The New York attorney general becomes the central implementation authority for the SAFE for Kids Act, with regulations—particularly around age verification—determining how platforms identify covered users.
Second-order effects
Platforms may need separate youth experiences, consent flows, and data-handling controls rather than relying on a single product design for all users.
Age-assurance and parental-control systems become more consequential compliance tools, while product teams face pressure to document how recommendation and notification features treat minors.
Third-order effects
If comparable state laws continue to proliferate, youth safety regulation could shift platform competition away from engagement-maximizing defaults and toward configurable, age-aware product architecture.
The practical boundary between an ordinary personalized feed and a regulated addictive one will increasingly be set through enforcement and rulemaking, making regulatory interpretation as important as statutory language.
The trend: States are increasingly regulating social platforms’ youth experiences through product-design, notification, and data-governance rules rather than content moderation alone.
New York has officially signed into law that people under 18 need parental consent to view algorithmic feeds in an app. As I've mentioned before, this is effectively a TikTok ban since the entire product is an algorithmic feed. ID verification is the next big regulatory trend.
Over 22 years of a career in social media T&S I have seen every single possible attempted abuse of a “parental authority” doctrine possible, even without it being enshrined into law. Some highlights, or should that be lowlights:
It is also impossible for a site to verify a parent/child relationship and verify the parent is the one who has legal decision making authority over the child in order to give permission for the child to use a website.
Reminder: whatever you think of teenagers' use of social media (and the reality is a lot different than most people believe), it is impossible for a site to treat teenagers differently than adults without deanonymizing and identifying every single visitor to the site, including a…
The law is signed. NY is hereby leading the country in the war against social media. Addictive algorithms will end ...or else we're gonna introduce Silicon Valley to some real Brooklyn. [image]
With our SAFE for Kids Act and NY Child Data Protection Act, we're sending a clear message: We won't let kids be bombarded by addictive social media feeds. We'll keep them safe online. Proud to sign these nation-leading bills into law. It's time for other states to follow. [image…
B/c of Valerie Caproni's GOD AWFUL decision in Herrick v Grindr which the 2nd Circuit unconscionably rubberstamped, til now, in NY we had limited ways to hold big tech liable for its dangerous products. This law is about product design — not publication of 3 party content.
I'm proud to stand with @GovKathyHochul, @Sen_Gounardes, and @nily at @UFT today to sign our nation-leading legislation to protect our kids from the harms of social media into law. These laws will keep our kids safe from addictive feeds that seriously hurt their mental health. [i…
These bills won't take immediate effect -Safe for Kids: Once AG finishes regulations determining key stuff like age verification - Child Data Protection Act: In one year
New York is taking a stand against the toxic algorithms social media companies push on young people. Join me live as I sign our first-in-the-nation legislation to combat addictive feeds and keep our kids safe: https://www.governor.ny.gov/
A historic day in New York, as @GovKathyHochul signed the SAFE for Kids Act into law. Our @LizFol stands with powerful advocates like @NewYorkStateAG, @Sen_Gounardes, & @nily to see this important step in making kids safer online. [image]
Today I will be signing our first-in-the-nation legislation to combat addictive social media feeds and protect kids online. New York is leading this national conversation. We won't let companies put their profits over our kids' mental health.
New York has established the nation's most stringent protections to safeguard kids on social media as @GovKathyHochul today signed nation-leading legislation to combat addictive social media feeds and protect kids online: https://www.governor.ny.gov/ ...
As I prepare to sign our nation-leading social media bills, I'm thinking of the New Yorkers who told me about the harm caused by addictive algorithms. Young people struggling with their mental health. Parents who saw their kids in distress. We're doing this for them. [image]