New York's governor recently signed the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act. Although signed, the law will not be effective until after the New York Attorney General creates implementing regulations. The law is aimed at protecting children under 18 from social media companies' "addictive feeds." Addictive feeds are defined to include platforms and services that recommend content based on information from the user's activity or device. Among other things, the law will:
- Require social media companies to obtain parental consent before serving addictive feeds to minors under 18
- Prevent social media companies from pushing notification to minors between 12 AM and 6 AM, unless otherwise approved by a parent
- Allow parents to limit access to social media
- Prohibits companies from discriminating against users who do not opt-in to addictive feeds or late-night notifications
Putting it into Practice: This law is similar to others we have seen in other states, and reflects legislators ongoing concerns about the harms that social media has on young users. We expect to see more in the coming months.
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