New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers have reached a general agreement on landmark legislation aimed at regulating social media feeds for children, according to new reports.
The bill, which has been the focus of a last-minute public relations campaign by Ms. Hochul, seeks to prevent social media companies from using addictive algorithms for users under 18 and to stop big tech firms from profiting off their data.
If enacted, it would be the first law of its kind in the United States. Sources close to the discussions indicated that the exact text of the legislation could be released this week, multiple sources confirmed to the New York Post on Monday.
The proposed deal would restrict social media companies from using algorithms to determine the content that minors see. Instead, kids’ social media feeds would display posts from accounts they follow in chronological order, rather than the algorithm-driven content currently served by the apps.
Critics argue that these algorithms are designed to keep children scrolling and staring at their screens, contributing to a mental health crisis among the nation’s youth.
“The companies are responsible for this,” Ms. Hochul said last week at an event with the Mental Health Association in New York. “This is driven by profit. They also know there’s negative effects on children, they don’t have to listen to the surgeon general who warned about the effects of this a year ago.”
The bill would also ban apps from sending alerts overnight between midnight and 6 a.m., unless parents opt in. Additionally, companies would be prohibited from selling the data of individuals under 18 years old, according to sources.
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