Lawmakers in New York are close to finalizing regulations aimed at allowing parents to control their children’s exposure to social media algorithms. The proposed legislation, known as The Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids act, would prohibit big tech companies from providing addictive feeds to minors. Despite strong lobbying efforts from tech giants like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, Albany lawmakers are pushing ahead with the legislation, championed by Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Kathy Hochul.
If passed, this legislation would mark a significant milestone, making New York the first state to restrict big tech companies from bombarding children with algorithm-based content. The SAFE For Kids Act aims to provide young social media users with a chronological feed of content from accounts they already follow, rather than curated content suggested by algorithms. Additionally, parents would gain the ability to pause notifications on their children’s social media accounts during certain hours, and social media companies would be required to verify users’ ages.
While the initiative is positioned as a means to safeguard children’s mental health and combat addictive social media algorithms, critics argue that it could have unintended consequences. Opponents suggest that the legislation might lead to increased data collection on young users and could potentially worsen the social media environment for children. There are concerns that the bill could hinder platforms’ ability to ensure age-appropriate content and may inadvertently prioritize recent posts regardless of their nature, such as spam or hate speech.
Furthermore, legal challenges could arise if the bill is enacted, as seen with similar legislation in other states. Last year, a state law in Arkansas requiring parental consent for children to create social media accounts was put on hold by a federal judge due to legal challenges. Despite these potential hurdles, supporters of the SAFE For Kids Act remain committed to passing legislation they believe will protect children from the negative impacts of algorithm-driven social media content.
