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New York\u2019s state legislature has passed a bill that would prohibit social media companies from showing so-called \u201caddictive feeds\u201d to children under 18, unless they obtain parental consent.<\/p>\n
The Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act defines<\/a> an addictive feed as one where the content is recommended or prioritized based on information about the user or the user\u2019s device \u2014 basically, these are the algorithmic news feeds used by most social apps. \u201cNon-addictive feeds,\u201d a category that includes \u201cfeeds listed in chronological order,\u201d would still be allowed.\u00a0<\/p>\n New York Governor Kathy Hochul is expected to sign the bill; her office has already released a statement<\/a> praising its passage, along with the passage of a related New York Child Data Protection Act, which prohibits online platforms from collecting or selling personal data from users under 18 without informed consent.<\/p>\n \u201cNew York is leading the nation to protect our kids from addictive social media feeds and shield their personal data from predatory companies,\u201d Governor Hochul said. \u201cTogether, we\u2019ve taken a historic step forward in our efforts to address the youth mental health crisis and create a safer digital environment for young people.\u201d<\/p>\n