New NY Legislation Restricts Social Media Geared To Minors

Governor Hochul has signed new legislation that creates new social media safeguards for kids.

If you have a phone, I am sure you have found yourself mindless scrolling through your feeds without even realizing how long or why you are scrolling. As an adult, you probably eventually catch yourself and shake off that social media daze.

For kids, it may not be so easy, and policing your kids on social media so they do not spend too much time scrolling is extremely difficult. As a parent, I can tell you from experience how easily kids can get reeled into the mindless scroll.

So Governor Hochuls has signed into law new legislation she says will help to protect minors from the "...mental health crisis fueled by addictive social media feeds."

Governor Hochul Signs SAFE Act To Protect Kids On Social Media

According to the Governor's office, Governor Kathy Hochul has signed off on the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) For Kids Act. The new law will require social media companies to restrict addictive feeds on their platforms for users under 18 by "...prohibiting social media 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."

Social media tracks your behavior and online habits and uses that information to send more similar content to your feed, which can lead to mindless, addictive scrolling. The Governor's office says the negative mental health effects and ongoing mental health crisis created the need to enact these online protections for minors. This new legislation, the first of its kind in the nation, will prevent providers from collecting that information for those under 18 without parental consent.