NEW YORK-\u00a0New York Attorney General Letitia James has released final regulations implementing the state\u2019s Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act, a law designed to limit addictive social media features for users under 18 and address growing concerns about youth mental health.<\/p>\n
The law, signed by Governor Kathy Hochul in June 2024, requires social media companies to restrict algorithmically personalized content feeds and overnight notifications for minors unless they obtain parental consent.\u00a0 The final rules outline how companies must verify users\u2019 ages and obtain parental approval before enabling those features and will take effect on January 25, 2027.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe SAFE for Kids Act leads the nation in keeping our children safe online and protecting youth from the devastating effects of unchecked social media,\u201d James said.\u00a0 \u201cThese rules set standards for age verification and parental control to ensure tech companies are doing their part to keep kids safe on their platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n
Supporters of the law point to research linking algorithm-driven social media feeds and frequent notifications to increased risks of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and sleep problems among children and teenagers.<\/p>\n
Under the law, users younger than 18 will, by default, see content from accounts they follow presented in a non-personalized format, such as chronological order, rather than recommendations generated by algorithms.\u00a0 Parents may choose to allow personalized feeds by providing consent.<\/p>\n
The law also prohibits social media platforms from sending notifications to users under 18 between midnight and 6 a.m. without parental permission.<\/p>\n
The regulations establish standards for age verification while requiring companies to minimize the personal information they collect.\u00a0 Platforms may verify age using methods such as uploaded photos or videos or by confirming information tied to an email address or phone number.\u00a0 Companies must also offer at least one option that does not require a government-issued ID.<\/p>\n
Any data collected for age verification or parental consent may only be used for that purpose and must be deleted or de-identified once the process is complete, according to the regulations.<\/p>\n
Parents and minors will be able to withdraw consent at any time, and platforms may not block minors from accessing general content simply because they decline to use personalized feeds or do not receive parental consent.<\/p>\n
Governor Kathy Hochul said the regulations fulfill the state\u2019s promise to address the impact of social media on young people.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur kids\u2019 mental health isn\u2019t for sale,\u201d Hochul said.\u00a0 \u201cWe promised action and the SAFE for Kids Act is delivering by ensuring that any platform that targets our children with addictive feeds will face legal consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n
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