New York Sets National Standard for Protecting Children on Social Media

Gov. Hochul deserves credit for getting the Legislature to pass groundbreaking legislation to regulate social media for younger children.

Big social media companies like Meta and Google have lobbyed heavily against Hochul’s sensible measures and will likely continue to challenge the laws in court.

These are just initial steps, with more to come (such as Hochul’s proposal to ban cellphones in schools): There is still much work to be done in safeguarding children from the dangers of social media, but at least the governor has set New York and the nation on the right path.

Social media companies, driven by the pursuit of profits, have neglected to self-regulate and prioritize the protection of young users.

It is now up to the government to mandate necessary protections, and New York seems to be leading the way.

Assembly and state Senate leaders have agreed to pass the New York Child Data Protection and the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Acts at Hochul’s urging.

The legislation does not infringe on tech companies’ freedom of speech but focuses on the “recommendation algorithms” that attract and engage children, requiring chronological feeds by default for users under 18 (unless parental consent is obtained) and giving parents the ability to set time limits on social media use and receive in-app notifications.

The courts have historically allowed the regulation of commercial speech, and free speech rights do not protect the targeting of minors.

This is a significant achievement that state lawmakers can proudly share with their constituents, and most importantly, it does not cost New Yorkers anything.

Any success that New York lawmakers achieve without burdening taxpayers is a win every time.