Governor Hochul Meets With Williamsville High School Students to Discuss Mental Health and Efforts to Address Harmful Impacts of Social Media
Two bills that aim to protect kids online have been signed into law in New York State.
Governor Kathy Hochul said, “New York is leading the nation to protect our kids from addictive social media feeds and shield their personal data from predatory companies. Together, we’ve taken a historic step forward in our efforts to address the youth mental health crisis and create a safer digital environment for young people.”
The SAFE for Kids Act will require social media companies to restrict addictive feeds on their platforms for users under 18. Unless parental consent is granted, users under 18 will not receive addictive feeds. Users may still search for specific topics of interest. It will also prohibit social media platforms from sending notifications regarding addictive feeds to minors from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. without parental consent.
The legislation will authorize the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) to bring an action to enjoin violations of the new law as well as seek civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation, among other remedies. And finally, it calls for the establishment of acceptable age verification and parent consent methods, to be determined by the OAG as part of a rulemaking process once the legislation is enacted.
The New York Child Data Protection Act will 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. It also authorizes the OAG to enforce the law and enjoin and seek damages or civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation.
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