Oliver Johnson
Governor of New York Kathy Hochul said Thursday that social media algorithms have negatively affected children and teens, saying “our children are in danger” as she prepares to sign into law a bill aimed at protecting children online.
“They are not living carefree lives because they are being held captive by powerful forces outside their own control — algorithms that are intentionally addictive, designed to attract them and keep their attention,” Hochul told CBS News in an exclusive interview.
The “Safe for Kids Act,” which Hochul is expected to sign on Thursday, requires social media companies to restrict “addictive feeds” for social media users under 18. between midnight and 6am without parental consent. And it would require new age verification and parental consent tools to be defined by the state attorney general.
Hochul said the move targets algorithms in particular because “to free our children, we have to go straight to the source of the trauma being inflicted on them.”
CBS News
But a group representing technology companies pushed back, arguing that the law would violate the Constitution’s First Amendment by censoring free speech online. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, told CBS News in a statement that while it does not support every aspect of this bill, it does support legislation that would require app stores to obtain parental approval to obtain apps. TikTok declined to comment.
The Democratic governor said that while the approach is “new,” she added that “we checked to make sure we believe it is constitutional.”
Hochul said that with the change in law, social media companies will be “put on notice.”
“The first step is just changing the law, putting businesses on notice that it’s a new day in New York,” she said. “We’re here with our kids.”
The new law is expected to go into effect 180 days after New York Attorney General Letitia James solidifies her exact rules and guidelines. James can then fine non-compliant social media platforms up to $5,000 per violation.
The development comes as related issues have gained traction elsewhere in recent days, amid a broader effort to address social media use among children. The US Surgeon General earlier this week suggested that Congress should create a warning label, as it would for addictive products like cigarettes, on social media for teens. And the board of the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest public school system in the country, voted prohibit students from using cell phones during school hours.
But the measures were not without resistance, as opponents argued that it should be parents who make decisions about their children’s use of social media. Hochul said that in New York the effort was supported by parents.
“Parents are the ones who help lead the charge,” Hochul said. “They were the ones who started this whole effort.”
Jo Ling Kent
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