(WRGB) — Governor Hochul announced a sweeping set of proposals aimed at protecting children online, restricting the use of harmful AI chatbots, and expanding mental health resources for young people across New York State.
The proposals, part of the Governor’s first State of the State agenda, are designed to combat the growing youth mental health crisis while strengthening safeguards against online predators, scammers, and harmful digital tools. State officials say the legislation would place New York at the forefront nationally in online child safety and teen mental health education.
Governor Hochul said,
As New York’s first mom Governor, the well-being and safety of our children has always been one of my top priorities, and today we are continuing to break new ground to give our kids the tools and safeguards they need to contend with the unprecedented mental health challenges and real world dangers that can sometimes be a byproduct of navigating today’s digital world. These proposals will create a nation-leading standard that will ensure our kids’ safety in online and real world environments where they spend time.
The Governor’s legislative package would impose new requirements on social media and online gaming platforms, expanding age verification rules and strengthening default privacy settings for children. Under the proposal, children’s accounts would automatically be set to the highest privacy level, limiting who can message them, view their profiles, or tag them in content. Location tracking would be disabled by default, and children under 13 would require parental approval for new online connections.
The legislation would also restrict certain AI chatbot features for minors and require platforms to offer parents greater control over children’s online financial transactions.
The package draws from legislation sponsored by Andrew Gounardes and Nily Rozic.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said the measures are urgently needed to curb unsafe online environments that expose children to exploitation and inappropriate content. In a statement she said,
Online platforms like Roblox are enabling unsafe environments for children, including allowing predators to send explicit messages to children. We urgently need to pass crucial online safety protections to stop predators from exploiting children and create safer online environments for children to play. I am proud to continue working with Governor Hochul, Senator Gounardes, and Assemblymember Rozic to push for nation-leading legislation that will protect children and families online.
In addition to online safety measures, Governor Hochul announced plans to significantly expand Teen Mental Health First Aid training statewide. The proposal would make the training available to every 10th-grade student, ultimately reaching more than 180,000 students each year.
The program is designed to help teens identify signs of mental health and substance use challenges among their peers and connect them with appropriate support. Research shows young people often turn first to friends during times of crisis, making peer awareness a critical prevention tool.
New York State Office of Mental Health Commissioner Ann Sullivan said the initiative recognizes the vital role peers play in supporting one another. In a statement Sullivan said,
In our discussions with young people about mental health issues, one consistent thread became clear, youth reach out to their peers when they are in distress. Teen Mental Health First Aid helps young New Yorkers talk with their classmates and friends about mental health issues and provides them with the know-how to get them help when it is needed. By expanding this program, Governor Hochul is continuing her steadfast commitment to improving youth mental health and providing our young people with the skills they can rely on to live and thrive among the challenges they face today.
The proposal also includes expanded Youth Mental Health First Aid training for adults who work with young people in schools and community programs.
State officials say the proposals build on a series of recent actions aimed at youth mental health and digital safety, including banning smartphones in schools, requiring warning labels on social media platforms, restricting addictive online features for children, and opening more than 1,300 school-based mental health clinics statewide.
According to the release, New York has also enacted first-in-the-nation safeguards on AI companions, expanded youth crisis intervention services, and invested more than $1 billion in mental health initiatives to increase access to care.