New York moves to limit ’addictive’ social media feeds for kids

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill that would allow parents to block their children from getting social media posts suggested by a platform’s algorithm.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday signed a bill that would allow parents to block their children from getting social media posts suggested by a platform's algorithm, a move to limit feeds critics argue are addictive.

Under the legislation, feeds on apps like TikTok and Instagram would be limited for people under age 18 to posts from accounts they follow, rather than content suggested by an automated algorithm. It would also block platforms from sending minors notifications on suggested posts between midnight and 6 a.m.

Both provisions could be turned off if a minor gets what the bill defines as “verifiable parental consent.”

The law does not take effect immediately. State Attorney General Letitia James is now tasked with crafting rules to determine mechanisms for verifying a user’s age and parental consent. After the rules are finalised, social media companies will have 180 days to implement the regulations.

(For top technology news of the day, subscribe to our tech newsletter Today’s Cache)

“We can protect our kids. We can tell the companies that you are not allowed to do this, you don’t have a right to do this, that parents should have say over their children's lives and their health, not you,” Hochul, a Democrat, said at a bill signing ceremony in Manhattan.

The signing is the first step in what is expected to be a drawn out process of rule making, and a probable lawsuit from social media companies to block the law.