Lawmakers in New York introduced legislation to regulate teenagers' ability to access social media by requiring parental consent before they can access algorithm-driven feeds.
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY), Attorney General Letitia James, and two members of the state legislature announced on Wednesday that they were introducing the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation for Kids Act, or SAFE Act, for consideration as a response to the wave of mental health problems facing teenagers across the United States.
AMERICAN HONEYMOONERS REVEAL MAD SCRAMBLE TO ESCAPE ISRAEL AFTER HAMAS TERROR ATTACK
"Our kids are in crisis, and the adults in the room need to step up," Hochul said. "The statistics are extraordinarily disturbing: Teen suicide rates are spiking, and diagnoses of anxiety and depression are surging. It's critical we all stand together to address the youth mental health crisis."
The bill would implement restrictions on services such as TikTok's "For You" page but would not affect content viewed through chronological feeds, such as TikTok's "Following" page. The law would also allow parents or guardians to limit the number of hours teenagers can access platforms and restrict access between midnight and 6 a.m. Failure to comply with the law could lead to fines of up to $6,500 in damages per violation.
The officials also introduced the New York Child Data Protection Act, which bans the collection of minors' personal data without consent.
Meta noted it already provides many of the requested tools but that the algorithms that the legislation targets block harmful content.
"We refer to research, feedback from parents, teens, experts, and academics to inform our approach," Antigone Davis, Meta's head of global safety, said in a statement. "And we'll continue evaluating proposed legislation and working with policymakers on developing simple, easy solutions for parents on these important industrywide issues."
The bill is expected to appear before the state legislature in early 2024.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
New York's legislation is the latest effort by lawmakers to try and crack down on teenage access to social media. California passed an Age Appropriate Design Code last year that requires age verification for social media access, although the law was blocked in court last month.
Utah passed legislation in March requiring age verification for any teenager wanting to make a social media profile. Arkansas passed a similar measure, only for a judge to block it in September.