NEW YORK (WBNG) — Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James announced new final rules establishing how social media companies must comply with New York’s SAFE for Kids Act, a law aimed at limiting addictive online features for minors.
The SAFE for Kids Act requires platforms to restrict algorithmically personalized feeds and overnight notifications for users under 18, unless a parent gives consent.
State officials say those features have been linked to mental health concerns including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and sleep disruption.
“When I came into office, our children were in the throes of a full-blown mental health crisis, and as New York’s first mom Governor, I felt a moral imperative to act,” Governor Hochul said. “Today, we’re sending a clear message: our kids’ mental health isn’t for sale.”
Attorney General Letitia James said the SAFE for Kids Act is a nation-leading measure to keep children safe online and protect young people from the devastating impacts of unregulated social media.
“These rules set standards for age verification and parental control to ensure tech companies are doing their part to keep kids safe on their platforms,” James said. “Young people are particularly vulnerable to addictive social media features, and my office is committed to protecting all New Yorkers from potentially harmful technologies and companies that try to take advantage of them.”
State officials describe “addictive feeds” as endless, algorithm-driven streams that can show content out of chronological order and often from accounts a user doesn’t follow.
Under the law, minors would still be able to access platform content, but their default feed would shift to posts from accounts they follow or choose, shown in a set sequence, unless parental consent allows an algorithmic feed.
The rules also limit notifications for minors between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. unless parental consent is granted.
The Attorney General’s Office is responsible for enforcing the law and setting compliance standards ahead of implementation.
The final rules establish standards for age assurance and parental consent, including requirements that platforms offer at least one age-check method beyond government IDs and delete or de-identify any information used for age verification once it’s no longer needed.
The rules apply to “Addictive Online Platforms,” defined as services with user-generated content where users spend at least 20% of their time on addictive feeds over a six-month period.
Officials say the final rules will be published in the State Register on July 29, 2026, and the SAFE for Kids Act will take effect Jan. 25, 2027.
Companies that violate the law could face enforcement actions and civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation, among other remedies.
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