New York is poised to pass a law that will bar social media platforms from showing algorithmic feeds to teens without parental consent. The Wall Street Journal reports that lawmakers in the state have reached a “tentative agreement” on a bill that will be voted on later this week.
State officials, including Governor Kathy Hochul, introduced a bill requiring parental consent for algorithmic feeds last year. The Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act doesn’t restrict the type of content teens can view on social media apps, but they wouldn’t be able to view algorithmic feeds without permission from their parents or guardians. The latest version of the bill will also block teens from seeing in-app notifications overnight without parental consent, according to The Wall Street Journal.
If passed into law, New York would become the latest state to attempt to rein in social media platforms’ access to teens with age verification requirements. Utah passed a law last year requiring social media apps to get parental consent, though the measure was later scaled back. Lawmakers in California have also proposed limiting teens’ access to algorithmic feeds.
Source: https://au.news.yahoo.com/new-york-is-about-to-give-parents-more-control-over-their-kids-social-media-feeds-230205845.html