New York lawmakers pass bill protecting youth on social media By Reuters

Jonathan Allen and Steve Gorman

NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York state lawmakers on Friday passed a bill that would ban social media platforms from exposing “addictive” algorithmic content to users under 18 without parental consent.

A companion bill restricting online sites from collecting and selling personal data of underage users also received final legislative approval in the New York Assembly on Friday, a day after both bills passed the state Senate.

Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to sign both bills.

She welcomed both measures as “historic progress in our efforts to address the youth mental health crisis and create safer digital environments for young people.”

Social media companies like Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:), whose platforms include Facebook and Instagram, could see their profits take a hit.

Supporters of the bill pointed to a recent Harvard University study that found the six largest social media platforms generated $11 billion through advertising aimed at minors in 2022.

The bill’s sponsors also cite research linking excessive social media use in youth to higher rates of depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and other mental health problems.

In a statement, industry association NetChoice called the bill “an assault on free speech and the open Internet” by “forcing websites to censor all content unless visitors provide ID to verify their age.” I did.

The organization said it successfully challenged similar measures in three other states as unconstitutional in court.

A spokesman for the governor said the law would not censor content on the site and requires it to use one or more age verification methods that preserve users’ anonymity.

Meta, whose company Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg co-founded Facebook, has expressed some support for the bill.

“While we do not agree with every aspect of this bill, we welcome New York becoming the first state to pass legislation recognizing app stores’ liability,” the company said in a statement.

The Stop the Exploitation of Addictive Feeds for Children (SAFE) Act would require social media users under 18 to get parental consent to view “addictive” feeds. This is defined as content that typically comes from accounts you don’t follow or subscribe to, but is delivered by algorithms designed to keep it on the platform for as long as possible.

Instead, minors on social media may receive a chronological feed of content from accounts they already follow or content that is generally popular. This is how sponsors say social media feeds worked before the advent of “addictive” algorithms.

Younger users can still search for specific topics of interest, connect with friends, and join online groups, but non-addictive algorithms used in search functions or to filter out unwanted or explicit content are still permitted without parental consent. It’s possible.

According to the New York Attorney General’s summary of the bill, the bill would apply to platforms whose feeds primarily consist of user-generated content and material recommended to users based on data they collect.

The summary names Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Alphabet (NASDAQ:) Inc’s YouTube as platforms that will be targeted by the action.

Companion legislation, the New York Child Data Protection Act, prohibits any online site from collecting or using personal data from anyone under the age of 18 unless “prior consent” is obtained or collection and sharing of that data is strictly necessary. , sharing or selling is prohibited. For the purpose of the site.

For users under 13 years of age, prior consent must be obtained from a parent.

Violators may be subject to civil damages or fines of up to $5,000 per violation.

In March 2023, Utah became the first state in the nation to adopt a law regulating children’s access to social media, followed by other states including Arkansas, Louisiana, Ohio, Texas, and Florida.