New York lawmakers this week passed a bill that bans internet companies from exploiting personal data and implementing “addictive” algorithms that are designed to keep children ‘hooked’ on social media.
As part of an ongoing effort to curb technology’s role in fueling a mental health crisis in youth, New York’s governor’s office is also supporting a ban on the use of smartphones in schools, which will be debated by educational departments, healthcare professionals, parents and lawmakers over the next few months.
The Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation for Kids Act, will require social media companies to restrict key addictive features on their platforms for users under 18 in New York. Once approved and signed into law, the Attorney General’s Office will devise specific enforcement rules and regulations. The measures will then take effect 180 days after those enforcement details are finalized. Technology companies will face fines of up to $5,000 per violation of the youth data privacy and addictive algorithm ban in New York.
A second bill, called the New York Child Data Protection Act, would prohibit all online sites from collecting, using, sharing, or selling personal data of anyone under the age of 18, unless they receive informed consent or unless doing so is strictly necessary for the purpose of the website. For users under 13, that informed consent must come from a parent.
National Online Privacy
Currently, a federal proposal — called The American Privacy RIghts Act has aimed to set nationwide standards for how companies like Meta, TikTok, Google and others can gather, use and sell user data, requiring them to collect only the amount necessary to provide products and services. That bill would transform how social media companies and online search engines use consumers’ personal data in a push to give Americans more control.
“HistoricStep” Forward in New York
New York is making a serious push to improve youth mental health and “create a safer digital environment for young people.” According to the NY Attorney General Letitia James, “Our children are enduring a mental health crisis, and social media is fueling the fire and profiting from the epidemic,” this push has targeted “the addictive features that have made social media so insidious and anxiety-producing,” she added. State Senator Andrew Gounardes, D-Brooklyn stated that “New York is sending a clear message to Big Tech: your profits are not more important than our kids’ privacy and wellbeing.” He noted that the bill he championed overcame substantial lobbying and opposition from the tech industry.
[Link]