Social media companies that use features such as infinite scrolling, auto-play and algorithm-driven feeds will be required to carry warning labels highlighting possible risks to young users’ mental health under a new law announced by New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Friday.
“Protecting New Yorkers has been my top priority since day one, and that includes safeguarding our children from social media features that promote excessive use,” Hochul said in a statement. The move follows similar measures elsewhere, including Australia’s recent ban on social media use for children under 16, and aligns New York with states such as California and Minnesota that have introduced comparable legislation.
The law applies to platforms offering so-called “addictive feeds,” auto-play or infinite scroll. It covers activity that occurs wholly or partly within New York, but does not apply when platforms are accessed by users physically outside the state.
Under the legislation, the state attorney general is empowered to take legal action and seek civil fines of up to $5,000 for each violation.
Hochul likened the warning labels to those found on products such as tobacco, which alert consumers to cancer risks, or plastic packaging that warns of suffocation hazards for young children. Representatives for TikTok, Snap, Meta and Alphabet did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Concerns over the impact of social media on children’s mental health have intensified globally, with several U.S. school districts pursuing legal action against Meta and other platforms.
In 2023, the U.S. surgeon general issued an advisory on protecting children online and later called for warning labels on social media—an approach now being implemented in New York.
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