|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Lawmakers in NY have proposed similar rules to the EU’s Digital Services Act to restrict how social media platforms can interact with under 18s.
By: Stephen Katte
New York lawmakers have announced new proposals to restrict what social media platforms can do with the personal information of under 18s and minor’s use of addictive algorithms.
In an Oct. 11 press release, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York Attorney General Letitia James, State Senator Andrew Gounardes (D-N.Y.), and state Assemblywoman Nily Rozic revealed two bills aimed at reducing the negative impacts of social media on under 18s.
“Our kids are in crisis, and the adults in the room need to step up,” Gov. 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,” she added.
Social Media Can be Addictive
One of the bills, the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act, aims to give families control over what content appears on their children’s feeds—families must choose to opt in for algorithms used by social media companies to track content for feeding more of similar content.
“Algorithmic feeds have been shown to be addictive because they prioritize content that keeps users on the platform longer,” the governor’s office said.
Under the proposed law, adult permission would be required for kids under 18 to turn on suggested feeds on social media apps.
Parents would also be able to opt their kids out from accessing social media platforms and their push notifications between midnight and 6 a.m. Platforms would need “verifiable parental consent” to continue offering services during these hours.
Under the new proposals, social media platforms would also have to provide parents with tools to cap the number of hours their kids can use them.
Companies that violate the proposed laws would face fines of $5,000 for every breach. Parents of the affected child would also be able to seek $5,000 in damages from the social media platform per incident.
However, social media companies will be allowed an opportunity to “cure any claim” brought by the parent/guardian of an affected minor.
Algorithmic feeds have been shown to be addictive because they prioritize content that the user likes, keeping them—and particularly minors—on the platform longer, sometimes indefinitely.
According to a Pew Research Center study conducted April 14 to May 4, 2022, from among a sample of 1,316 teens aged 13 to 17, the vast majority of respondents admitted to using YouTube and TikTok daily, with some reportedly using the sites almost constantly.
About 77 percent of the teens surveyed said they use YouTube every day, while a smaller majority of teens, around 58 percent, said they were on TikTok at least once a day.
Around half are on Instagram or Snapchat at least once a day, while only a relatively small number, around 19 percent, reported daily use of Facebook.
The second bill being proposed, the New York Child Data Protection Act, would prevent social media companies from collecting, sharing, and selling personal data about minors without informed consent. For kids under 13, that informed consent must come from a parent.
According to the Pew Research Center study, more than half the respondents felt they were not in control of the information social media companies collect, and often sell.
