New York to ban ‘addictive’ suggested posts on social media feeds for kids

The New York state Legislature on Friday passed a bill that would allow parents to block their kids from getting social media posts suggested by a platform’s algorithm — a regulation that tries to curtail feeds that critics argue are addicting to children.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, is expected to sign it into law.

The move comes amid heightened concern about social media use among children and an ever-unfolding push to regulate tech platforms in different ways at the state and federal levels.

In practice, the bill would stop platforms from showing suggested posts to people under the age of 18, content the legislation describes as “addictive.” Instead, children would only get posts from accounts they follow. A minor could still get the suggested posts if he or she has what the bill defines as “verifiable parental consent.”

It would also block platforms from sending notifications about suggested posts to minors between midnight and 6 a.m. without parental consent.

The legislation tasks Attorney General Letitia James, who pushed for the bill, with coming up with rules to determine both the age of the user and a mechanism to determine parental consent. The bill would take effect 180 days after James establishes those guidelines.

“Our children are enduring a mental health crisis, and social media is fueling the fire and profiting from the epidemic,” James said.

As with any regulatory effort against social media companies, New York’s bill has drawn heavy pushback from the tech industry, which argues it unconstitutionally censors the sites. There has also been questions from critics over how age verification would work and whether that process would undermine the privacy of young users.

Some platforms have chosen to add parental controls to their sites as regulatory pressure has mounted. Meta, the parent company of social media giants Instagram and Facebook, last year unveiled tools to allow parents to set time limits and monitor how much time their kid spends on Instagram, among other things.

Other states have moved to regulate social media use among children, with varying results. Utah overhauled its social media youth restrictions earlier this year after they were challenged in court. In Arkansas, a federal judge has blocked a policy to requiring parental consent for minors to create a social media account.

At the federal level, lawmakers have held multiple congressional hearings about child safety on social media but have not passed broad legislation on the subject.

The New York state Assembly gave the bill final passage on Friday. The state Senate passed it Thursday.

—Anthony Izaguirre, Associated Press

https://www.fastcompany.com/91138222/new-york-ban-addictive-social-media-suggested-posts-feeds-kids?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss

Creato 1y | 7 giu 2024, 21:30:03


Accedi per aggiungere un commento

Altri post in questo gruppo

5 excellent free podcast apps for iOS and Android

I’m going to go out on a limb and assume you’ve been on the internet before. If so, you’ve likely stumbled upon a podcast or two. There are almost 5 million of them out there, after all.

<p

18 ago 2025, 23:30:03 | Fast company - tech
Philips CEO Jeff DiLullo on how AI is changing healthcare today

AI is quietly reshaping the efficiency, power, and potential of U.S. h

18 ago 2025, 21:10:07 | Fast company - tech
How satellites and orbiting weapons make space the new battlefield

As Russia held its Victory Day parade this year, hackers backing the Kremlin hijacked an orbiting satel

18 ago 2025, 21:10:06 | Fast company - tech
Meta spent $27 million protecting Mark Zuckerberg last year, more than any other CEO

The targeted murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson last December put the business w

18 ago 2025, 21:10:05 | Fast company - tech
Tesla lowers monthly lease fee due to UK sales slump

British motorists can now lease a Tesla

18 ago 2025, 21:10:05 | Fast company - tech
Google fined $36 million for anticompetitive deals with Australia’s largest telcos

Google has agreed to pay a 55 million Australian dollar ($36 million) fine for signing anticompetitive deals with Australia’s two largest telecommun

18 ago 2025, 18:50:02 | Fast company - tech
‘Pips,’ a new logic puzzle from New York Times Games, might just be your next ‘Wordle’

On an average day, tens of millions of people visit The New York Times Games section to solve the latest crossword puzzle, keep their

18 ago 2025, 16:30:05 | Fast company - tech